There's a myth in Silicon Valley that successful entrepreneurs, like oil prospectors, ultimately just get lucky. They sink a well in the right field at the right time, and they've been cashing in on that guiser ever since. I won't deny that luck plays a huge role in any highly risky career, but I don't know of many entrepreneurs who strike oil on their first try or their second or even their 20th attempt. You need some reason to keep going, and this is normally what we call grit or persistence.