Rich Rodriguez, new Head Football Coach at the University of Michigan had some insightful philosophy about the sport that I feel can relate to distance running:
He spoke about developing the culture on his team by "deserving to win" as opposed to "expecting to win." Tremendous difference in the mindset.
I think this was Prefontaine's one fault heading into Munich, he expected to win. Never once did he mention that he deserved to win because he trained the hardest, perhaps he stated he was the gutsiest, but since he felt he could close in sub-4:00 for the final mile, that he expected to win.
Just an example, but some great thoughts from a successful coach.