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The big difference in the battles with Hannibal was, Rome had a citizen volunteer force, and not a professional standing army, while Hannibal's gang of cutthroats, er, army was largely made up of skilled and experienced mercenaries. Life and politics in Rome and in Carthage were somewhat similar, but trade and wealth meant the Carthaginian army and navy were hirelings, or nearby allies in N Africa.

Hannibal's dad had conquered a chunk of Iberia using an essentially private army, and perhaps had political designs on his home city. He and his sons harbored a real hostility toward Rome, and after Hannibal had a couple of major victories, he remained unable to close the deal or conquer Rome itself. After more than a decade running around Italy -- mostly avoiding battle btw -- he was evacuated by the Carthaginians, who found a sudden need for his army because Scipio was in Africa.

Having Hannibal in Italy all that time had suited the other posh families just fine.

Scipio had figured out the winning strategy, but couldn't get senatorial support because there was no room for the untrained and inexperienced idiot patricians to lead another army or two down to annihilation. Financing for his operation was via private money, a pattern that persisted throughout later Roman history.

Scipio beat Hannibal's sorry, overrated ass. Hannibal was given mercy by Scipio, but within a few years he fled Carthage. He'd been conniving with one of the Alexandrian successor states, Rome found out about it, and his local rivals were going to hand him over because they were just sick of his ****.

Hannibal wound up fleeing to Antiochus III, who wasn't all that popular among other Greeks. Hannibal joined in the eventual war Antiochus conducted with Rome, which the Romans and their Greek allies won.

Hannibal then connived with other enemies of Rome until he died while fleeing from place to place.