Attempted Murder

Why do we have a crime called attempted murder? Isn't the problem that you tried your best to kill someone -- whether you succeeded or not? Should it really make any difference if you were too much of a screw up to figure it out? Is the idea that by missing your target, you probably had a last minute change of heart that caused your hand to flinch? By distinguishing it from real murder are we rewarding incompetence or conscience?