Can perseverance be a substitute for hard work?

I just completed my fourth Florida Ironman 70.3 and for various reasons that are not relevant, my training for the event was not adequate. I saw this on my results and having run 20 minutes longer than previous runs on this event. I concluded that not matter how much we persevere, even though it is very important, it is not a substitute for hard work. The combination of both elevates exponentially our performance... but both are needed.