I am guessing you were playing as a solo player on a local instance?

If that was the case then the only person who can answer your question is you.

Do you feel like you cheated yourself out of any feeling of enjoyment you might have found from getting your stuff back through the normal mechanics of the game?

If so then you cheated.

Was any possible enjoyment that you would have received from getting your stuff the normal way already outweighed by the feeling of frustration of so many failed attempts?

If so then you didn't cheat.


Again it is something only you can answer if you were solo, as in that case, no one else's opinion matters.