For some oddball reason, although the two are valid synonyms, I like the word 'perseverance' and dislike the word 'patience.' 

For me, patience connotes a female virtue, a docile and obedient form of waiting, a word that echoes into a hushed and still Victorian room. The image I have of patience is of a pale white girl seated in a chair, cross-stitching some ludicrous adage unto a cream hanky. Patience is the better word for fighting boredom. 

Perseverance on the other hand, implies a fierce will to suffer to reap better results, an active and kinetic journey of choice. It is the strength to overcome obstacles, the good-spirited cruelty to sprint ahead of competitors. It is the fiery spunk of a young warrior, who squeezes out the last drop of fuel boiling in in his body to fight those who are bigger and stronger. 

Synonyms as they are, the two stir up different emotions and interestingly draw distinct visual drawings of themselves. Sadly, the gendered images are the products of the conventional gender-role culture ingrained within me. Touche to that.