A soft pedal is fluid boiling.
A firm pedal with lack of stopping power is the brake pads.
Getting air to the brakes can help both to a degree.
High temp fluid can firm up the pedal. In most cases the fluid should be bleed within a couple of days before the event. I like the Castor SFP as it has a very high wet boiling temp so a fresh bleed dose not become so critical. It is hugely expensive at about $80 a qt.
Street pads and even street sport pads exceed there usable temp range quickly. Race pads do not stop well when cold and make noise. However, when the get hot they can stop better than what you have experienced on the street with normal pads.
After that it is larger rotors for more thermal reserve and calipers that can take larger pads with more surface area so the heat per area is lower.
Most new drivers tend to not use there brakes effectively which can put more stress on them than is necessary.
A well driven full weight 011 with proper fluid, pads and air flow can work well for DE//TT's.
However, at this point things can get hot enough to burn up the dust seals.
