This is one of those discussions that could go on forever, so I hope we keep it light...
You have to qualify "journey", "destination", "struggle", "triumph".
Sometimes they are the same thing. Sometimes they can be desirable, sometimes not. Sometimes they are important, sometimes not.
How about a war? Would you prefer a quick, easy victory over a weak aggressor, or a long difficult struggle against a stronger one ending with a second place finish?
How about a world archery championship? Would you like to shoot a 149 in the finals and come in second to someone who shot a 150, or would you prefer to shoot a 145 against someone who touched off his trigger a bit early, missed and shot a 139? I'd take the second option.
However a triumph is of no value without some sort of struggle leading up to it.
I absolutely disagree. Again, take the lotto win, for example. I would take the same pleasure from winning with a ticket I found on the ground as I would from one I paid for with my hard-earned wages.
Granted, in some cases what you say has some truth to it. A hard fought sporting win is more satisfying than an easy win, but the distinction I'm making is that a hard fought loss is not anywhere close to being as satisfying as an easy win.
But here's the important distinction - YOU are the one who defines the triumph for yourself, not I. If YOU decide that participating in the game and performing well is more important to you than the end result compared to others, then you HAVE triumphed. The struggle IS the triumph.