Brakes, who needs them, they only slow you down.
Personally, I try to use the brakes as little as possible.
For hydraulic brakes, the type of brake pads & rotors that you use can affect the performance significantly, according to your conditions.
One type of brake pads & rotor may work well for high speed or low speed, heavy braking or constant braking, wet or dry, etc...
It is difficult to suggest what to use without knowing your specific conditions.
When you combine high speed, hard braking.. you're bound to test the limits of your spokes.
As mentioned before, stay on top of your spoke tension.