Tyler Butterfield has taken solace from the triathlon truism that perfect preparations do not necessarily equate to a perfect race.

To say that Butterfield’s season has been less than perfect would be an understatement; it started with him battling three parasites he picked up during a race in Mexico and continued with a persistent calf strain that forced him to reduce his training volume.

But after 14 years as a professional, Butterfield has long accepted that trials and tribulations come with the territory as he readies himself for this weekend’s Hawaii Ironman World Championships in Kona.

Although he has tempered his expectations, believing a top-ten finish is his high-water mark, Butterfield is comforted from knowing he already has two stellar finishes at triathlon’s “holy grail” — a fifth and a seventh — which he can draw upon when the going gets tough, as it inevitably will.

“Preparations haven’t been perfect all year, but I’ve made the best of my circumstances and I’m interested to see how I go,” said Butterfield, who arrived in Kona at the weekend.

“The year I came seventh [in 2013] was probably my best preparations leading into Hawaii, whereas last year I got sick and went on antibiotics a few weeks before the race and ended up fifth.

“That’s what’s giving me hope, and I’ve raced long enough to know that perfect preparations do not always mean the perfect race.

“I’ve had plenty of races where training has been great and I’ve raced horribly, while there have been other times when I’ve had pretty rocky preparations and the race has been great.”

Butterfield admits that when it comes to the Hawaii Ironman, the mental battle can be equally as hard as the physical one.

First up there is the 2.4-mile swim in the Bay of Kailua-Kona, which can destroy a triathlete before they even dare think about the 112-mile bike ride in the searing heat of the barren lava fields of the Kohala coast.

And that is all before the full marathon — 26.2 miles to be precise — when the body and mind is screaming for the madness to stop.

“I think people like Ironman because it’s a lot like life,” Butterfield said.

“Nobody wakes up and has a perfect day everyday of their life. There are good moments and bad moments and you have to try and stay positive.

“In every Ironman you have a bad patch or three and it’s about how quickly you turn it around into a positive state.

“Even last year when I did well, by about mile seven I was thinking that I didn’t want to come back next year and that I was going to have to start walking and finish in one hundredth!

“There’s definitely a mental component to it, but I’m definitely not someone who thinks you can be so mentally strong that you can overcome physical barriers.”

Butterfield need not look far to find inspiration ahead of the most important race of his season.

Flora Duffy’s triumph in last month’s Grand Final Cozumel to secure the ITU World Triathlon Series championship offered him a timely reminder that athletes from small islands are capable of big accomplishments.

“It’s pretty cool what Flora did, becoming a world champ,” he said. “I joked with a friend that I used to always have the excuse that I’m from Bermuda, a small island, and to be near the top is good enough. Then Flora goes and wins and I’m like, ‘Well, I can’t use that excuse anymore!’

“I’m excited for her and it shows other people in Bermuda that it doesn’t matter how small it is, you can be the best in the world.

“I’m in no form to expect anything like that, but I’m aiming for a top ten.”

Although his calf strain has cleared up, Butterfield said his race tactics will hinge on a strong swim and an aggressive bike to compensate for being “undercooked” for the run.

Up against an ultra-competitive field, including defending champion and race favourite Jan Frodeno, of Germany, Butterfield knows he can ill afford to become isolated if he is to achieve his third top ten.

Frodeno set the fastest time over the Ironman distance at the Challenge Roth triathlon in Germany in July in 7hr 35min 39sec. Butterfield finished sixth in that race in 8:18:39.

“Jan Frodeno is the favourite and he’s going in with a lot of pressure,” he said. “Almost everyone who came in the ten top last year is back, so I’ve definitely got my hands full.

“The main thing for me is swimming as hard as I can. To get out in that bunch makes such a difference as it can be tough mentally if you’re out on your own.”