I've met a few people like that, and it's sad they can't own up to reality. Then there's the related group - the parents who can't believe "their" kid did anything wrong. I think this type of behavior does more harm to a person than good, as one never learns how to take ownership and responsibility for errors/failures. Often it's the lessons learned during mistakes/errors/failures that make us stronger and wiser.
After reading this reminds me how important parents are lucky I learned well from my parents.