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Luck is the bottom line, but there are several actions one can take to improve their odds for a longer life.
1) Preserve the integrity of the bearing seals for as long as possible to keep the bearing grease from washing out. This means frequent oil changes; ensuring the car gets up to operating temperature for 20+ minutes when driving; and not letting the car sit for long periods with the IMS seals submerged in acid contaminated oil. Here, clean oil is one's best friend when rolling the IMS dice.
2) Alternatively, open the car up and remove in outer IMS seal to allow oil to lubricate the bearing.
My 01S followed strategy one above up to 120K miles when I changed out the single row bearing for the IMS Solution. The original one looked pristine until I removed the outer seal and noticed the grease was gone. I consider myself lucky and I am convinced my plan allowed the daily driver to reach 120K without an engine destroying failure.
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