It's good to know that HN is going down the same drain that reddit went down. Since when did hard work and dedication to one's tasks become a bad thing?
I don't think there's ever been a monolithic work-to-the-bone culture among hackers, whether at HN or elsewhere. It's definitely one part of hacker culture (and engineering culture more generally, which is full of billion-hour-shift "war stories"), but there's always been a strong opposition to that culture as well, of the "work smarter, not harder" variety, and of course lots of gray areas in between.
Some people really thrive on 80-hour workweeks, but if you don't (and I'd say most people don't), there's no particular reason to hold them up as a good thing. If you're starving and have to do it to keep from being homeless, then grit your teeth and do it, sure, but if someone's unhappy with their situation and has options, a rational solution is to look into those options...
What happens when you Win. I mean you're working on a project/business right. So heres the key question.
What was the person embarking on the journey after, what were her ambitions and aspirations. And should you manage to get there, what is next. Will there even be a next step for this new person. Or has the goal consumed the person?
One of the most important lessons I have learned from Nejc Zaplotnik, who was at the time of his death tied with Reinhold Messner in Alpinism.
"The Path is the Goal. There is nothing more important in life than the Path. Goals are mere means, since once you reach a peak its never over, you take a look around and pick a new Goal. Therefore Goals are meaningless. The only thing that matters is the Path."
So if the pain you are enduring is a vital part of your path, then it is actually good. But if this pain is not the path - then get hell out now. Don't loose the sight of your path by looking at the goal.
What you describe is that you basically have no life at all, so whats all the work for if you dont even enjoy it and instead feel depressed and exhausted ?
Sounds like a sad life.
I can't decide if your post is a joke or if your lifestyle is the joke.