Yes, honestly there is a big difference between being forced to work long hours by a corporation and choosing to work long hours because you are passionate about something, or in a "flow state," or you feel like you have a real stake in the outcome of the project. I am sure during the Space Race there were scientists on both sides pulling insane hours, driven largely by national patriotic pride, which might also be at play here. I don't think there's anything wrong with workers working for long hours as long as 1) it is voluntary, 2) it is safe both physically and mentally, and 3) it is temporary, for only a year or a few years, with an enforced return to a 40-hour work week at some cutoff point.