A lack of patience is always a big mistake. I've lost count off the number of times I've had no hand for ages and felt like I'm going to be blinded out of the tournament. So I end up getting involved in a pot with a marginal hand and I usually lose a huge chunk of my stack. Then the very next hand I will get pocket aces or kings and I'll have no stack left to be able to win a good amount with.
today wrote a thread just about acquiring patience .... are the poker bases study, cunning , patience , perseverance and cat leap that only the winners know
in most cases patience will get you farther but in most cases the one or two big hands save the day and its mostly gut instict on od ball hands that allow you to make it to the end! in my mind anyways