Calamity Ganon's return: was there ever hope?

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game about fate, challenging it, and ultimately failing. Upon learning of a prophecy promising Calamity Ganon's return to plague the land, the kingdom made great efforts to alter this fate. In the end, though, those preparations lead to numerous losses and the destruction of Hyrule Kingdom. The day is saved in the end, but was challenging fate worth it? Let's take a look at what happened and what could have happened, had different actions been taken.