I've also come to that conclusion after a number of years of freelancing, but I understand the other point of view as well.
While freelancing, especially for people in another country, it isn't uncommon for customers to just disappear without any trace (or pay) half-way through a project. As such, when confronted with some problem mid-project, finishing the job in a half-assed manner can be a way of ensuring you get paid. Of course, a better method is making sure you have a solid plan before agreeing to the job, and trying to avoid unreliable customers - but accomplishing this can be difficult in any setting, even non-freelancing.
On the customer side, making sure you have a number of reasonably sized milestones and pay for them immediately on delivery can help keep freelancers confident, and thus encourage better quality work.
While freelancing, especially for people in another country, it isn't uncommon for customers to just disappear without any trace (or pay) half-way through a project. As such, when confronted with some problem mid-project, finishing the job in a half-assed manner can be a way of ensuring you get paid. Of course, a better method is making sure you have a solid plan before agreeing to the job, and trying to avoid unreliable customers - but accomplishing this can be difficult in any setting, even non-freelancing.
On the customer side, making sure you have a number of reasonably sized milestones and pay for them immediately on delivery can help keep freelancers confident, and thus encourage better quality work.