I would say it depends on the severity of the punishment. If the punishment is not severe then hypocrist in pursuit of domination is no vice. I do not think that the punishment for being late due to traffic should be severe, but lateness is still lateness and Master is entitled to punish. He expects you to serve him. However justified the failure it is still a failure. OTOH he is not there to meet your expectations, as you are there to meet his. He also may be looking for an excuse to punish you, rather than just giving you a spanking because he feels like it. But as I said, if the punishment is severe, you might want to politely say that in your opinion, the punishment was to severe for the offense. After all, not every offense deserves the same punishment.