When you scrub something, you are applying force toward the object. When you attempt to scrub faster, you are transferring some of that force horizontal to the surface, which should in turn 'feel' like the work is less. The work is not less, you have just shifted the amount of force applied toward the friction surface.

Motors on the other hand do not purposely direct force toward the cylinder walls, but rather up and down. In my opinion, your analogy has little or no purpose when referring to a piston motor's ring to cylinder stress.

And... Even if it did, cylinder wear from ring friction is not a common culprit of blowing motors, it is generally either failure of moving load bearing parts or friction bearings. Which brings us back to oil pressure and the maxium amount of stress that the rotating assembly can take before failure.