Without success or result (2,4)
I believe the answer is:
in vain
'without success or result' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for in vain that I've seen before include "'To no avail (2,4)'" , "useless" , "With no profitable outcome, a waste of time" , "Unsuccessfully" , "Uselessly, to no profit" .)