Sometimes the will to win alone is not nearly enough. If it was, then everyone would be doing it.
No, at critical moments, in the pursuit of sporting excellence, it requires an almost pathological fear of losing to elevate the greats and separate them from the rest.
It may seem irrational, perhaps even bordering on masochistic.
But, be in no doubt, it’s what makes the special ones tick.
And it was without question what drove Walter Smith on during his ascent towards legendary status as the most successful manager in Rangers ’ modern day history.
He didn’t mind admitting it either. As a matter of fact, Smith talked about it openly and frequently while unwittingly offering a fascinating insight into the mind of a serial winner.
And this win-at-all-costs mentality has seldom seemed more relevant to Smith’s old club than it does now, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his players attempt to pick themselves up off the floor and add a silver lining to a campaign of wildly fluctuating emotions.
This afternoon at Hampden is no longer about visualising the joy which would come from celebrating a first Scottish Cup success in 13 years.
For them, it’s now only a matter of avoiding the anguish and pain which would result from being burdened by another major loss.
Winning cup finals is not for everyone after all. And the reality is Rangers haven’t managed it since Smith was at the helm, barring a Petrofac win over Peterhead in the dying throes of the banter years. The one cup final they had no wish to take part in.
Mark Warbuton went on to lose a Scottish Cup Final to Hibs that same season. Three years later Steven Gerrard lost to Celtic in the League Cup Final.
And on Wednesday night in Seville it was Van Bronckhorst’s turn to suffer. Of course, it can be argued with good reason that Rangers achieved something truly spectacular simply by reaching that ill-fated showdown with Eintracht Frankfurt and then taking it all the way to a shoot out from the penalty spot. They absolutely did.
And yet the brutal reality is they returned home on Thursday afternoon holding on to nothing more than regrets over what could or have been.
Should they come up empty handed again this afternoon then, ultimately, a historic campaign will have ended in trophy-less failure.
It goes without saying that Smith would not have tolerated the idea.
Back in 2008 when his own tilt at a European title was undone by Zenit St Petersburg, the near miss was compounded days later by the loss of the league on the last day of the season.
But even though Smith and his players were out on their feet by then they still summoned up the strength of character to lift the Scottish Cup by grinding out a 3-2 win over Queen of the South.
Scant consolation no doubt at the end of a gruelling marathon of a campaign. But one more trophy secured for the record book nonetheless.
Now Van Bronckhorst has to summon up Smith’s spirit to drag his own group over that same line.
That Hearts also go into today’s showpiece on the back of their own painful run of Cup Final losses, adds a fascinating twist to the plot.
Robbie Neilson and his players will not be turning up to give Rangers a guard of honour for their heroic Europa League exploits or to thank them for giving them a leg up into next season’s group stages.
On the contrary, they’ll be hell bent on vanquishing the demons of a list of close calls stretching back to that famous 5-1 win over Hibs in May 2012, the last time they got their hands on the big Cup. Or any cup, for that matter.
Less than 12 months later they blew the chance to add the League Cup to the cabinet when they were turned over by St Mirren.
Then came back-to-back Scottish Cup Final defeats to Celtic, the second, agonisingly, on penalties.
Just because Neilson and his players have had 16 months to get over it, doesn’t mean they’ll have forgotten how badly it hurt.
While the wounds inflicted upon Rangers in Seville on Wednesday may be more raw, Hearts will have their own self preservation in mind as well as a deep, burning desire not to end up attending someone else’s end of season party.
That they were taken apart by Van Bronckhorst’s B team just last weekend, will have added a feeling of urgency to the mix as well as a realisation that they’ll need to come back, bigger and better than they were for the Rangers send off if they are to avoid a similarly savage beating.
If they sense that their opponents are in a weakened state, emotionally or physically, then it is their job to exploit it and to go in for the kill.
Hampden on Cup Final day is neither the time nor the place for sympathy or, for that matter, self-pity.
There’s a Cup to be won. More importantly, there is one last excruciating defeat to be avoided.
