A lot of people have had unrealistic expectations of what very powerful individuals with relatively small communites [ Rivendell, Lothlorien] could do against Sauron.
Elrond and Galadriel excelled in psychic and underground efforts.
They knew better than try and go toe to toe w/ Sauron [ Galadriel's brother Finrod having been killed that way in the protection of Elrond's great-grandfather] and they knew that no last Alliance was possible again [ on any such scale, at least] also they clearly functioned on intuition - knowing Sauron could not be defeqated by might but also that the Valar were watching [inferred from the presence of the Istari who clearly were not Men or Elves, and indeed Galadriel may have recalled olorin from Valinor] and thus they were able to have faith that a way against Sauron would be appear, provided they remained alert and vigilant.
Wu-Wei
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The dwindling Men of the West would often sit up late into the night exchanging lore & wisdom such as they still possessed that they should not fall back into the mean estate of those who never knew or indeed rebelled against the Light.
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