In this short book there are lessons that will help any competitor, whether a sailor, a soccer player, or a business executive, learn from defeat and make the most of a situation in order to perform at the peak of his or her abilities. Here is the formula for success that led Dennis Conner to win the America's Cup in 1980, to come within a few seconds of winning it against a vastly superior boat in 1983, and to dramatically retake the Cup in Stars & Stripes in Fremantle, Australia, in 1987. These lessons apply as much today as they did in 1978, when No Excuse to Lose was first published and when Dennis was one of the fastest rising talents in the world of sailing. By 1983, Dennis was considered one of che very best racing helmsmen. However, his star dimmed when Liberty lost che America's Cup in that year. He painfully bore much of che disappointment of defeat. Now, in a comback that must seem unbelievable to anybody who does nor know him, Dennis is indisputably at che very top of his craft. In many ways, he is stili pretty much the same person as when this book was written-a drapery manufacturer from San Diego who wants to be able to look at himself in che mirror and say that he can race sailboats better than anyone else in the world. Today he can say that without any hesitation whatsoever. This book is based on some thirty hours of tapes of conversation between Dennis and myself, during which he talked frankly about his life, ambitions, strengths, and weaknesses. His and my goal was to produce a personal and instructive book that would teli che reader something about what it takes to do well and to win, nor only in sailing bue in any endeavor. If che proof is in the pudding, we have succeeded.