Social is the key word. The author presumes the end goal of programming is overcoming all sorts of technical obstacles to deliver a working solution in a problem domain. But who defines working? The stakeholders. Ultimately, programming work is about pleasing the product owner, manager, or users. The "power through the obstacles" approach arises when there is a communication breakdown between software engineer and stakeholder. Why should programmers expect to work until 2 AM but not plumbers or electricians? Granted, software projects are more difficult to estimate, but when other types of engineers run into obstacles, they typically go back to the customer to renegotiate. Software engineering would benefit more from improved communication than herculean efforts or early retirement.