I think the Spanish conquest of Mexico would have ended very differently had anyone but Cortez led the expedition. Say what you want about Cortez, and there’s a lot of horrible things about him, and personally I’m not a fan, but he was a tenacious individual. After La Noche Triste most leaders would have given up, but Cortez simply would never accept defeat despite suffering enormous losses by the Mexica. Same reason why the Romans ultimately triumphed over the Carthaginians. It didn’t matter how many battles Hannibal won, the Roman people never surrendered.