In regards to the original question, it needs to be stated that competitive endurance rallies are nothing like a certificate ride.
For cert rides, the singular goal is to meet the requirements of that ride. The value in doing cert rides, in terms of long distance riding, is in learning about yourself. What 'tells' do you show that indicates you're tired enough to warrant a stop? What tells are present that let you know you need to stop immediately? These things are as vital as understanding your hydration needs.
Ask any experienced LD rider if they have ever realized they needed to stop, then ridden right past a rest area or the next exit or hotel that they had intended to stop at. Most have. For many, if not most, an early indicator is not being able to maintain the speed you intended to. Some have micro hallucinations before they experience micro-sleep. One rider told me a tale of catching a reflective flash out of the corner of his vision at night and *knowing* it was the pant leg of a rider's stich. He immediately turned around and went back to help what he believed was a rider in the ditch. It turned out to be a bent over reflector post. He slept shortly after, realizing his mind was not as sharp as he needed it to be.
For me, it's partly about maintaining a rhythm. When I was working shift work, I grew keenly aware of my low ebb periods of the day. I can ride well and maintain focus for 20 hours a day, be off the road for 4 hours and sleep for a solid 3 and keep doing that for an unlimited period of time, barring outside issues and screwing up that rhythm. I know my sleep cycle is 3 hours. I need to be off the road from 1am to 3 at minimum. If I sleep for 4 hours and get up with an alarm, I'll be worse off cognitively than if I sleep 3 hours and get up on my own. What worked for me then was finding a hotel at midnight and being back on the road at 4am. I can do this w/o using an alarm clock. It can be challenging to find a room at midnight in some areas of the US away from interstate chain hotels.
On a cert ride, you have a better than average chance of maintaining a rhythm that works for you. In a competitive rally, it's a lot harder to do with the external problems to sort and timelines to focus on. I once found myself in Key West during a rally at 9pm after having gotten started that morning in Tallahassee, FL at 4am and hunting bonuses all the way down to KW. Only then did I realize I needed to be in Kerney, NE in 36 hours. KW is not a place you get out of quickly and I was already tired from a circuitous 800+ mile ride down to KW. I made it with 15 minutes to spare, but my rhythm was shot after 5 days of a 10 day rally. I slept for 6 hours, rode for 4 hours and slept for another 3, but never regained my rhythm and ended up DNFing that rally for time barred after getting a room at 7am the final morning of the rally, still several states away from the finish. I learned a lot during that rally. I was pushing pretty hard and failed on several levels to manage my time and miles well.
Learn your sleep cycle. Learn your low ebb period(s) of the day. If you plan your rides with those in mind, you should do well.