I made a solemn vow not to be the first each day, (it's difficult not to be, seeing as we're the first civilized country to break the dateline , NZ being still populated by ignorant savages), but when I successfully avoided being the first, I went and forgot to play at all that day.
Being first means your score and time is up there for everyone to see, so if you were Peter and you saw that Malky only got 8 (and took 56 seconds to do it, and Tarks got 9, (with a 67 second time) then you can crack your knuckles and relax, knowing that even a 70 second finish will put you in first place if you get 10.
Conversely, if you see that Bilthehut got 10 and only took 50 seconds to do it, you know that the job is very simple - go for it as quick as poss and if you drop a point, too bad. This is why Peter always seems to get that irritating two seconds less than his nearest rival.
My other pathetic excuse is that I use a Wacom pen, which gives me accuracy and control in Photoshop, but not speed in a Trivia quiz. I could connect up a mouse too, but then I would be preparing for the competition and I think that's tantamount to cheating.