I think you need to do what works best for you. The evidence is clear that breastmilk is superior nutrient wise. You simply can't argue that formula is as good for baby. There is so much evidence about this already and its easy to find so i won't go into it in detail. I think THIS is why so many mums put pressure on themselves to do it and feel bad if they can't, OP. But in saying that, it is personal choice and women need to decide what works best for them. A happy mum is extremely important.
I also think it's a little do with mindset and whether you have enough support. If you go into it having watched tutorial videos on youtube and having had advice on how to get a good latch, which products help sore nipples, etc, you're much more likely to succeed. But sadly not all new mums can get this support; and for some, the support isn't enough, and they still struggle. At this point it makes sense like you say, to 'move on' and bottle feed, if mum's mental and physical health is suffering.
I am pregnant now, FTM, but many of my friends have said it's 'hard at first' but if you persevere it gets easy, a breeze. So I think basically a lot of people give up when its really hard. But it could have got better in a matter of days/weeks. Or not. Who knows? It's like sweeps... do they work because labour is imminent anyway, or do they actually bring on labour? Some of these things are guessing games.
Of course some people decide not to even try BF for personal reasons. Again, this is a personal choice... like choosing to birth in hospital or at home, to do baby led weaning or not... etc. There are various ways of raising a baby and bringing it into the world. The best you can do is be informed, and go with your instincts.
Re: pumping. I don't think it takes hours to pump enough for a single bottle as some have said ... 
. If you want your partner to take turns during the night you'd only have to pump one or two bottles per day which wouldnt take long. Another thing about lack of sleep... if you breastfeed you can literally roll over, pick up baby, put on boob. If you are using bottles/forumula, you need to go to kitchen, potentially mix, heat up, every time. Seems much more draining to me. Babies feed constantly when they are newborn.
Re: combi feeding. Best to intro one bottle per day at 6 weeks so baby doesn't get confused/put off the boob too early, if you do want to keep breastfeeding for longer.
I plan to BF and am excited about it. I feel like it's literally what my boobs are for so why not? If it is a horrendous struggle I'll get support. I'll keep trying. But it's very important to me. I understand that other mums have other things that feel more important so it's just about being informed and doing whats right for you