Suppose you know all about your enemy, his strengths and weaknesses, and thus knew to a fair accuracy how matched you are.  Suppose also that you know how the competition will work itself out, and have a good understanding of duration and incidental events.  Think boxing or fencing.  Think about getting engaged with the enemy in a fight that the enemy thinks is crucial, but is part of your plan.   You endure his blows and respond with feints, to soak up punishment but lead him into irrelevant maneuvers---with the purpose of misleading him and wearing him down.  Finally, at the penultimate moment, you CHANGE THE GAME and deliver a mortal blow.  And swiftly move on to another enemy while your second is collecting the corpse of the first one. If you know what you are doing---and what the enemy is doing---and can lead him on with bait, then patience is the mark of the hunter who always gets his prey.