Persevering (9)
I believe the answer is:
assiduous
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">persevering</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(synonyms)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is the entire clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for assiduous that I've seen before include "Diligent" , "Showing great care and perseverance" , "Hard-working" , "Marked by care and persistent effort" , "Persevering" .)