When a person fights an inclination with which he has no internal relationship, it is relatively easy for him to speak of “overcoming the inclination.”
In such a case, a person can stand up, laughing and proclaiming, “An arrow in the eye of Satan” (Sukka 38a).
This may not be a simple task, but there is a clear moral path to success.
However, when the evil inclination is close to one’s heart, it becomes much more difficult to overcome it.
One may know all the considerations that direct him to the proper course of action, and still fail to overcome one’s inclination to act otherwise.
–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
From Talks on the Parasha