Harder work and a tougher mentality have been vital, too.
Liverpool defender Kolo Toure has warned £28m Manchester City new boy Wilfried Bony he will need a tougher mentality to survive at his former club.
Toughen you up, gives you a tougher mentality and strengthens your immune system.
Porte was, after all, intended to be the team's leader for the Giro d'Italia this year, while there has been speculation for several years that Thomas's all-round ability, massive engine and tough mentality might make him a possible overall contender for the Tour in the style of Wiggins.
A "tough love" mentality insinuates that people need to "hit rock bottom," whether it's arrest, loss of possessions, or health problems, before they will change.
The irresistible, fluid play and tough mentality shown when coming from behind in the two Real Madrid encounters, which both ended 2-2, stand out.
This has changed, though, and for some, while many of the visual tropes still exist (i.e. looking like a child's idea of a tough sailor) the mentality has changed.
"That's exactly what we've been emphasizing over the last couple of days -- to have that tougher mentality and to buckle down and get stops and execute when we need to to win games," said Sprewell, who struggled offensively in scoring 5 points and shooting 2 of 13.
In addition, often there is a tough guy-or-girl mentality prevailing in the academic environment that makes students less willing to seek out the help they may need.
