Yes, of course. I am not talking about every relationship being one that you should try and try until it works finally. We also have a saying, "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity."
I was more interested in the idea behind the proverb. My understanding of the Russian people is that they are very long-suffering and tenacious and so the American idiom seems to fit the Russian culture at least on the surface.