It is the GM that makes the story.
If the GM tells the players "You want to try to catch up to the horde of villains by traveling through the night without sleep? Ok, but you risk exhaustion." that is entirely up to the GM. It is his story.
What is he going to do if the players say "Nah, we sleep"? Let the story die?
All choices in any game are completely arbitrary. They are completely up to the GM. The GM is not forced to do put anything on his players that she doesn't want to happen.
So, it is always the GMs choice what he puts on players.
(There are a few systems where this is not true, but none have anything to do with DnD)
This is simply not true. The GM facilitates the story, yes, but the players influence it. It is the GM's responsibility to adapt. If the players say "Nah, we sleep," the story doesn't die, it
changes.
The GM is responsible for realistically playing out the choices of the player characters. The players decide to rest? Fine. The players decide to forgo rest? Fine. They must deal with the consequences of whatever they choose. But in the end, it's their choice. The GM cannot predict which way the players will decide to go, so he/she must adapt the consequences to fit.
A GM creates the world and the basis for the plot, but the story itself is shaped by the players and their decisions.
