Another issue is while we may fly more hours in a year, on average, we don't work either longer days or more days per month or year than other carriers. That has been proven many times. Seeing our yearly hour totals guys from other airlines tend to freak but they freak because they are applying our hour totals to their work environment.
When we go to work we fly. We don't sit two hours everytime through a hub or change planes as often as the other guys.
What is important to me is how many days I work, not how many hours I fly. Once at work, I would rather fly than sit around an airport. Sitting around is more fatiguing than flying.

Another important benefit is the ability to fly as much or as little as one wants. I have done both extremes at different times of my career. It is a great quality of life feature to have that flexibility.