WeTriedXpAndWeFailed is what people really mean who say
WeTriedXpAndItFailed.
If it is people not tools who solve problems, then surely it is people not tools who fail to solve problems.
On
WeTriedXpAndItFailed, there was a different take on it, that I think is more likely to be true, given human nature:
Proponents will say, "We tried X and
we failed." Opponents will say, "We tried X and
it failed." The unbiased might say "We tried X and were unable to duplicate the successes expected."