RIGOR
Unless one's rigorous pursuit of any goal matches or exceeds that of one's opponents, you cannot prevail upon the merits, since rigor or focused relentless hard work separates the winners from the losers, invariably.
This proven lesson comes from the Scripps-Howard Spelling 🐝 Bee.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/06/01/spelling-bee-some-finalists-moment-triumph-others-day-despair/102379472/