Kirk only got a commendation for that. He had to work for a long time after the Kobayashi Maru incident to get the Enterprise.
You're begging the question. Achieving the same goals with different rules is a different game. Using stilts and a machine gun to get a ball in a hoop is not basketball.
Yes, it's not a valid solution to the game of basketball, but it is a valid solution to the "get a ball in a hoop" game.
I don't think the Kobayashi Maru test rules said anything about "don't try to break the game". Success can result from relaxing an irrelevant requirement.
It's not irrelevant if it's the difference between winning and losing. Since you're already rewriting the scenario, why not just declare yourself the winner from the start? It would save a lot of effort.