1 - Drive as slow as possible, but as fast as necessary. There are times when in soft sand like beaches and washes, speed needs to be moderate and flotation through mud and snow needs to be kept up, hence "as fast as necessary." But usually taking your time on the trail will allow you to pick a smooth path and allow you time to react/act to the varieties of terrain like moving rocks and logs under the tires. If you have a ground clearance deficiency, going slow helps here, in that, if you do hit a rock with the diff or other rock grabber, it will usually stop the vehicle on impact or you will lightly scrape over it. If you were going too fast and hit a rock or other obstacle, it could knock a hole in the oil pan, diff or even knock off the oil filter.

Don't get caught up in the Baja or Camel Trophy syndrome. They don't use those rigs as daily drivers. At the end of those events, the keys are handed over to a mechanic and a corporation that has deep pockets to refurbish them. Plus, you could get hurt!