I believe it can, both in limited war and global conflict: A.India has more fighting spirit, low standard of living that war wouldn't change. India is not afraid of prolonged conflict, as long as its perceived as just response to something by average indian(i.e. national sentiment), but China doesn't have such cohesive national sentiment, despite its changes to more nationalist tone, its afraid of domestic anti-communist nationalist sentiment itself.
B.Large manpower reserves of healthy, strong men. Even women probably have more testosterone than any Chinese man. Prolonged, total war requires zeal and commitment to purpose: China is too weak ideologically from decades of irreligious consumerism to create a North Korea like national fanatism. C.Less public fear of death/casualty vs 1-child policy China. Chinese families are also seniority-based, leaving leaders to be elderly who are very sensitive to their generation/clan/family loses in post-1child China.
D.China is actually trapped with their psychology reliant on western tech, which will be disrupted easily by India's allies and no in-depth defense. Its technology is essentially based on copying foreign designs that in case of prolonged war will fail to adapt to enemy having the same design+.
China only has A.Himalayas as natural barrier and Russia as northern border
B.Lots of rockets. WMD use however allows excuses to anti-Chinese coalitions to form and support India, which is essentially a WW3 opening.
C.Strict discipline, thought its too rigid and fear-based. During stress, the weak national sentiment and distrust of communist party as leading element will reduce fighting power and discipline will break down. Indians OTH are religion-centric and their war drive will be not affected by corrupt command structure, chaotic battlefields favoring the fanatically persistent.
A prolonged war will likely turn into non-conventional war as WW3 with Russia backing China, and India backed by US/west/Japan/Taiwan(east asian tech). which means India will eventually 'Win' as coalition in which it fights will be stronger technologically and more capable strategically: control of seas/air/etc. China will not win a prolonged war, its not Vietnam. However what will decide WW3 will be Russia which has sufficient tech to wreck several continents with non-conventional weapons.