Spamming the start button doesn't really cause the issue. The problem lies with 200,000 connections per minute (was posted on reddit) that the server can't seem to prioritize who goes where when everyone just tries to flood the login system. For those who wait in queue get in quicker. Those who keep trying get put in last, SE is pretty particular with their authentication process and that takes some time, people spam it thinking authentication goes faster.

Login Server
Char Sever
Map Server

They are different from one another, the login being the hardest, char being the easiest, the map being the last obstacle which usually fails when the login system or char system fails to respond.