In 1831 he failed in business
In 1832 he was defeated for legislature
In 1833 he failed in business again
In 1836 he suffered a nervous breakdown
In 1838 he was defeated for speaker
In 1840 he was defeated for elector
In 1843 he was defeated for Congress
In 1848 he was defeated for Congress again
In 1855 he was defeated for Senate
In 1856 he was defeated for vice-president
In 1858 he was defeated for Senate again
In 1860 he was elected President of the United States

The man? It was Abraham Lincoln. He just kept persisting until he won.