You don't win an Olympic gold medal with a few weeks of intensive training.
Persistence isn't using the same tactics over and over. Persistence is having the same goal over and over.
Success comes from doing the hard part. When the hard part is all you've got, you're more likely to do it. And this is precisely why it's difficult to focus. Because focusing means acknowledging that you just signed up for the hard part.
Figure out the people part and the technology gets a whole lot simpler.
Either you defend the status quo, or you invent the future.
Excellence isn’t about working extra hard to do what you’re told. It’s about taking the initiative to do work you decide is worth doing.