To put this in a different context:
When you use a library that you don't know very well (for creating UI, for instance) you can solve a simple problem in a perfectly performant way, though you know there's a "correct way" to do it. If you are curious and worried that your brute-force code makes you look like a moron, you will soon find the "correct way" to do it (e.g., on weekends, or while you sleep). In the meantime, through brute force, you will have something that works.
I actually forget to use brute force sometimes, and start scanning the API for the "right" solution. This is definitely an error in many cases. If the brute force solution is easy to implement, scales as you need it to (really, if it works), then forget about the correct solution. You'll find it soon enough (and many times you already knew it!), but in the meantime, you solved the problem and were able to go on to the next one.
Roadblocks are terrible when coding, and should definitely be avoided more than brute force solutions.