When is a workout considered a fail?

For me the only failed workout is the one I don’t attempt. Over the last year, I’ve had some workouts where lower the intensity, some where I bail out after 1 interval (or less) and some where I need to back pedal or hit pause in the valleys to extend my break.

Every one of these “fails” means I’ve made more progress than I would have done by sitting on my backside watching TV and drinking beer.