Well good luck NDW, if they gave places for tenacity and determination you’d be there. All you can do is prepare and do do your best on the day; if you can look in the mirror the next day and say you gave it everything you have no complaints.
But remember sometimes perseverance does pay off. My first ever AEF trip in Cadets was in a Chippie with a FJ pilot; between the 2 of them he and his Nav clocked up a good half dozen attempts. So you just never know.