Accidental Clearing of Stoppage

The home warranty company got on my nerve again. After scheduling the rooter job on the next morning, they decided to change the plumber the last minute. It's now next Monday (from Thursday morning) or find your own plumber. I decided to try to fix it myself.

The stoppage was solid - not a slow drain but a solid stoppage. Armed with my snake and electric drill, I opened up the p-trap and snaked in nearly the entire length of the snake. At the last few inches, it seemed to have hit something and could not go any further. I thought I might have hit the stoppage so I pulled back and checked. The stoppage was still solid. At that time, I figured that I might have to hire a pro after all. My snake might have wondered into a sub-branch (like toilet or something else other than the stoppage). This was a dirty job. The pipe was full of grease, smelly and slimy stuff. I didn't feel like ruining my dinner ( it was close to 7pm). So I thought I give it another try just in case I got lucky. The second time was fairly quick due to having more experience. It hit something again at around the same distance. I gave it a few more turns to see if I can shake it off but to no avail. I pulled the snake in. This time, it seemed to have fixed the stoppage. I didn't know how this time was any different than the previous time. I might have gotten lucky by banging the pipe a few more times during the second snake and might have shaken loose the grease or the stoppage. I'll wait a few days before declaring victory.

Is the rooter job really a hit or miss game? Maybe this is why most rooter guys charge so much money for it because it's hard to predict how long it takes to fix the problem. Based on the stories I heard from this rooter guy I know, this might be the case. I hope there is more of science to this. I hope.