Subtle meaning and context probably shifts a bit when considered and pondered upon by different folks.
More important than the
will to "win", is the down deep, unequivocal
belief that someone
can win. The conviction was be firmly ingrained, and justifiably so, within the very foundation of your beliefs.
Preparation designed to better create the opportunity to optimally and effectively
act upon that deep seated belief is probably better than just having the will and
hoping events will fall your way to let it happen.
Events and circumstances may turn out to prove your belief and conviction insufficient to the demands placed upon you by the world, but your conviction needs to be unshakable, refusing to yield even as circumstances may prove to be beyond your control, going down striving to manifest your belief and conviction with every fiber of your being.
You may not "win", but neither can you be
forced to accept defeat.
Yes, having a religious and/or spiritual belief system can be important, but in the end it's the man (or woman) who bears the responsibility for being willing to
strive to accomplish.
I once had to give an unexpected, impromptu talk on a subject decided by a roomful of experienced LE firearms instructors. The subject chose for me was basically "warrior mindset and the importance of the ability to instill it" in the cops we trained. Tough crowd, especially since the senior instructor who voiced it as my "topic" was someone who was known to be somewhat "challenging" of people.
I presented the topic in front of the group (classroom setting), and actually ran over the allotted time, but neither the staff hosting the update class nor the rest of the "students" showed any desire to cut it off. Weirdly enough, when I was done I received a loud round of applause, and the guy who had originally picked the topic seemed to applaud the loudest. Hey, to be fair, I suppose that having served as a firearms trainer for 16 years (at that point) probably gave me some talking points to dredge up and string together.
Wish I'd written it down or they'd recorded it.