The True Master.

[davem]

Originally Posted by daeron

I don't think so. Will Sauron be victorious if the allied might had been the same as in the second age? Sauron was able to push to the limit just because Gondor and Rohan were sitting idle and Arnor was competely destroyed (partly because of the war of the last alliance). If Gondor had been alert, collected armies from when the first shadow fell, had it been of the might in the days of its rising, had the line of kings not been broken due to human foolishness, would Sauron have such advantage. No. But even in such cases, with the ring, he might have achieved a victory because this time there was no Gilgalad with Aeglos to harm him.

But they didn't do any of that. Taking the situation as it was at the end of the Third Age Sauron had overwhelming power in military terms & the only thing that could prevent his victory was the destruction of the Ring.