I think an important thing to know about this QTE is that the bar is somewhat misleading. When it's more than about 25% full, any input will barely budge the meter. And until you hit that 25% threshold, you'll actually lose more meter than you gain no matter what. You can mash anywhere from 6-10 keys per second and it'll feel like you're struggling. But once it dips below that 25% threshold, a single input will suddenly fill up a lot more of the bar than it seems like it should. I hesitate to say that it would fill it all the way back up to 25%, because I'm too much of a coward to risk it for science, but I wouldn't be surprised.