Baron Pierre de Coubertin gave voice to the idea that the effort was far more important than the result.  His emphasis in this passage was not on victory, but training.  He knew that in the realm of elite competition, training was the key to success—and the individual will was the key to training.  In his view, failing was part of the passage to real achievement.

“The unfortunate thing is not failing, but failing to try ... Training overcomes a great deal, though not everything. Training is a daily resolve, a step-by-step climb, interrupted by pauses and setbacks but propped up on a solid support called the will.”

This quote comes from a speech on the “Educational Use of Athletic Activity” that Coubertin gave in November of 1928 to the International Bureau of Sport Pedagogy.