grit
n. C / Un. the courage and strength of character that helps you keep going when things are difficult. It also refers to very small pieces of stone or sand.
n. firmness of character or indomitable spirit; also refers to small, loose particles of stone or sand. Uncountable when referring to psychological resilience; countable or uncountable when referring to geological material.
It takes a lot of grit to finish a marathon.
The coach praised the team's grit after they won the game despite several injuries.
Success in high-pressure environments often depends less on innate talent than on the sustained grit required to overcome repeated setbacks over several years.
After the Clear Grits, 19th-century reformers so named because they wanted members who were "all sand and no dirt, clear grit all the way through".
When used to describe personality, it is uncountable and often paired with verbs like 'show' or 'have'.