I understand the phrase "try as I might..." to mean "I'm trying very hard and still..." and I'm comfortable using it in the present tense.
However, I don't understand the grammar of the phrase and therefore cannot really decide how to use it in the past tense. Specifically, I am wondering how to say the equivalent of "I was trying very hard and still..."
Is it "try as I did" or does it just not change at all: "try as I might"?