Destroying an Empire to win a war is no victory. And ending a battle to save an Empire is no defeat. - attributed to Kahless the Unforgettable

There is such a thing as a Pyrrhic victory. Likewise, some kinds of failure can be more valuable than ostensible success.

There is always a greater perspective. From that greater perspective, what a lesser perspective judges to be a win may be a loss, and vice versa.