A case of Hannibalism?

Hannibal, the Carthaginian general who became famous for using elephants in his battles against the Romans, didn't actually make a very impressive case. The Roman General Scipio, encountering the formidable elephants on the battlefield, simply instructed his men to blow trumpets and beat their swords against their shields. The noise terrified the elephants, causing them to turn and stampede - trampling many of Hannibal's soldiers. Yet, on his death-bed, Hannibal insisted, "If I'd only had more elephants, I could have beaten them." Maybe his name deserves to become a metaphor for persistence taken to a perverse extreme.