I remember when BA 757's first starting operating the "Shuttle" routes in the UK. The sectors to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast from Heathrow are all about 1hr (give or take) and the 75' would frequently make it to FL410 on these routes.
In general, it usually makes sense to burn some fuel to get high, where less fuel will be burnt in the cruise, and will be followed by a long, mostly at idle, descent.
Many factors can impact the above, which is a very simplified view.