My personal goal on the race course is to avoid situations like that if at all possible. Being able to sail your own race is always faster if not always possible. As Rick pointed out, if there was a good distance to the leg going into the mark, then working the whole leg to either pinch up high enough to be clear of foot to be clear earlier so the issue of rights around a mark are not inquestion.

Next option is to ask if you can go. Sometimes they will oblige, but ususally there is just a stare at least untill they are clear to tack themselves. Here it pays to know your competition.

If the situation is close enough to be of any question then your only real option is to wait it out, run a better tack and drive over them as it sound like you did. The other other options are all potentail bad outcomes.

If they are not skilled in boat handling or your tack is not as fast as you planned a collision is very likely.

If they happen to be one of the few who try and use rules to win, even if you were in the right, you will likely be in the protest room trying to prove it. Not a good way to spend the evening.