slog

Verb

• strike heavily, especially with the fist or a bat
  • He slugged me so hard that I passed out
    

• walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
  • Mules plodded in a circle around a grindstone
    

• work doggedly or persistently
  • She keeps plugging away at her dissertation
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  slug , swig , footslog , plod , trudge , pad , tramp , plug away , peg away , keep one's nose to the grindstone , keep one's shoulder to the wheel