80 hours is a hell of a long time. If I had to guess, I'd say you dragged it
out over too long a period, calendar wise.

I flew twice a week and towards the end three times a week. The average
at my club seems to be about 70 hours and I've never heard of anyone at
my home airport who's finished in under 60. I've also heard
unsubstantiated reports that the national average (in the US) is about
60 hours now. I know I took longer than a lot of people, but that's
what it took for me to feel absolutely comfortable with my abilities. I
probably could have passed the checkride earlier, but I wanted to be
over prepared.

My point is that if a student starts training with the expectation that
it will take only 40 hours, he or she is likely to get frustrated
(possibly to the point of quitting) if it ends up taking a lot longer.
Also, if the student only budgets for 40 hours of flying, money could
become a factor towards the end of the training and that's never a good
thing.

- Ray