I completely disagree with @smilingheart1. I am a perfectionist, and I am admittedly a pain in the ass and uptight at times. That said, I am perfectly happy being one, and it does usually not have a lasting effect on anyone other than myself. In fact, I consider it to be one of my better traits.
To me “making myself miserable” in order to achieve the best possible outcome is completely worth it. Personally, what you describe as excellence is and has always been perfection, not the “unrealistic and unattainable” type of perfect; from my perspective, perfection is very attainable, and I can and will attain it. I know what I am capable of, I will micromanage down to the very last detail even if it means staying up all night, and I rarely allow myself to call something finished or complete if I have not done everything to the absolute best of my ability. But the final product is worth every moment of agony. I am happy being “miserable,” in a sense, as I would rather be miserable during the process and achieve “perfection” than put my name on something that is nothing more than average or mediocre.
While I cannot say that I do or do not admire perfectionists in themselves, I do consider perfectionism to be an admirable trait in a person.