To go all the way, sometimes you have to be willing to go all the way down so that you find the correct path that will take you to the summit of the mountain.
To almost reach the summit is okay and some people find themselves that they have peaked without reaching the summit and dread the descent to the foot of the mountain to take the correct path to take you to the top.
Survival and success requires planning, and more often than not, you have to abandon the plan and take a new one. Do not fear the descent, fear complacency.