The England captain has pledged to give "absolutely everything" on the field and has been working "so hard" to be in the best shape possible for all five tests in Australia.
He told Sky Sports: "When I got given the job I came in with a very clear plan of how I thought was the best way possible to take the team forward and improve.
"For me personally, this series won't diminish anything I have tried to do or the time and energy I have put into the [captaincy] but it doesn't take away from how important I feel it is by itself.
"I am desperate to get that plane home saying I am one of the few England captains to win an Ashes series. "
"I give absolutely everything when I play for England around the world. If I walk out on the field feeling I have to prove myself, that isn't me as a captain or leader.
"I definitely expect to play all five Tests. I am 34, I have played a lot of cricket and it is hard to do everything as an all-rounder. That is how I have always played the game.
"I will leave it all out there. I have worked so hard the last three months to make sure that when it comes to game time I am there physically to fulfil that role."
Ben agreed with lead coach Brendon McCullum's recent assessment that the contest will be "the biggest series of all our lives" and said "we'd be lying to ourselves" to suggest otherwise.
He said: "Definitely [the biggest series of our lives]. Everyone in the world, everyone in Australia and England, knows how big this is.
"I think if we were to come out and not accept that, and say 'it's just another series' we'd only be lying to ourselves, lying to the fact of what the series is. It's looking it in the eyes, taking it on and not being afraid of the challenge.
"We know it's a huge task coming to Australia and everything that comes with that on the field and away from the field. It is a huge two-and-a-half months for us.
"It's about letting everyone know what the expectations are going to be like, so it's not a huge shock and a, 'woah, I didn't expect this to be like this'.
"We're in a good place. We've come over here to take the Ashes home, that's the end goal, and we have selected a squad we think will give us a great chance.
