well i came from winmo. hard reseting is no big deal to me now. flashing custom roms brings about all sorts of bugs. and hard reseting can fix a lot of them.
first off, i have to believe that it is not the phone, but an app that you installed. if it was a hardware problem i think we would be seeing a lot more complaints. don't download free pointless apps if you can help, make sure to read reviews and see if people are having issues.
next a hard reset COULD fix your problem. i have no idea why you can possibly fathom that a hard reset will in no way help you, but simply require you to do it on a monthly basis. a hard reset is even recommended to be performed after initial boot of the phone. once again to just make sure there are no weird little bugs.
now, since you are stuck in a boot cycle, try this. boot into bootloader by holding the vol down button and power. once there connect your phone to your pc/laptop. then run the following rom from the link below:
RUU_IncredibleC_Verizon_WWE_1.22.605.2_Radio_1.00. 03.04.06_hboot_0.79_release_161494_ - PPCGeeks
this is the stock rom that shipped with your phone, it is signed and will install just like you did a hard reset. as long as you cna put your phone into bootloader it will work.
i hope my tone didn't come off like an ass, but you just can't jump to the conclusion that a hard reset will do nothing for you. phone software (at least winmo) can be flaky and mess up sometimes for no reason. i can't explain why it may help, but it MAY, and thats the point. best of luck!