Given the B.S. flying in another thread, I thought I'd offer three instances of my own experience to try to put a better handle on it. Probably in vain, I'm sure.

None of my lubes or methods are anything unusual and certainly I'm not at all interested in debating how/why/when/what to lube a chain. Not the point of this thread at all.

#1 10 speed Campy Veloce CT w/ KMC DX10 chain on my CX bike, ridden mostly on road as a fast commuter and poor weather road bike. In service year round.

At about 1800 miles I popped the chain trying to sprint away from a light in the wrong gear. The missing link came apart shift under load. Operator error on chain failure. Replaced with a new Chorus chain. On the bench it shifted fine after substantial tuning. Not perfect, but good enough. Under load on the road it skipped cogs like mad. Stumped due to 'low' miles, I threw in the towel and sought refuge at my LBS. A few hours later and swapping parts to isolate the problem it was boiled down to being the cassette.

As an everyday/foul weather bike the chain saw at least a weekly wipe down and lube. Maintenance was generally good according to most conventional thinking on the topic.

#2 9 speed Shimano Deore XT w/ HG73 chain on my hardtail. All weather commuter, grocery getter, slop bike. I ride this rig through everything, but pretty much only road use. In service year round.

~1500 miles and time for an overhaul. Shifting is noisy and hard to tune, but functional. New chain, cables, grease here and there, and the whole drivetrain removed and cleaned in a parts washer before re-install. Cassette is spotless and on a new chain shifts like hell.

Maintenance was weekly wipe and lube with daily spraying with WD-40 if running in salt/slush/snow. Driveline was kept in a state of wet lube, but not much more. Inadequate for longevity, but not performance.

#3 10 Speed full Campy Chorus CT (chain too) on my primary roadbike. Ridden in-season only, generally in fair weather given the choice.

Currently have ~2500 miles on these bits and shifting has been a bit noisy/rough for a few hundred. Still performs well and I hope to get through the spring slop (mid-April) on it as is. I expect to change the bits out somewhere in the ~3,500 mile range.

Maintenance has been, frankly, pretty anal. Wipe down after every ride or two, kept in a state of optimal tune, and always clean. Not spotless, but more than should be needed for performance.

Obviously maintenance matters. But matter of riding style, weight, power and manner of delivery, all factor into this. It's not about pro-tour power, using Lube X, or religiously following your regimen. A large group of small parts with tight tolerances will wear at different rates under different operating conditions. How much wear is acceptable to you is another matter.

Off to a flame suit fitting.