I'm an old fart and have been playing these games far too long and it still amazes me when I hear what hardcore pvpers do or don't do...
Now I'm not a "Hardcore PvPer by no means but I've known a few and first off, Hardcore PvPers don't give two cents about rewards. They do it strictly for the challenge.
Secondly, most hardcore PvPers we have in this game are already at endgame with all the good gear. They like good competition and want their opponents to be challenging (They'd rather loose a really good fight than steam-roll someone). They love all the Capture the Flag style Instances (War Zones) and only want worthy opponents.
And most importantly, they believe in old-school fair play and honor amongst opponents and would never quit in the middle of any game because the rewards aren't good enough. Doesn't matter if it's a game of Checkers, Monopoly, Chess or SWTOR, Hard-Core Gamers might be complaining about not getting the rewards they want but you don't hear a word from a Hard-Core Player vs Player Player complaining about their reward in these boards.