Not only do we need to keep on keeping on (it is the way to cope with rejection after rejection), so do our characters. So what really motivates them? What brings out the best in them? What will make them persist when everything seems to be against them?
What is the trigger point that makes them realise they are on a pathway which they will need to follow? And when they realise everything will have to change (as Frodo in Lord of the Rings realised), how do they handle that?
From a writer's viewpoint, keep on keeping on is vital. You learn by your mistakes and rejections. So must yoru characters.