Persistence and hustle are different.

Persistence is if you stick with it long enough for the non-linear benefits to kick in.

Hustle is whether you keep turning the crank no matter what.

But if you're turning on the crank on something that never adds up to more than the sum of its parts, then you're not getting any leverage.

The question is: are the small actions cohering into something larger over time?

If not, you're wasting your time on low-leverage work that has a high opportunity cost.