diff --git a/decoder.go b/decoder.go
index 54c88ec..9cf46dd 100644
--- a/decoder.go
+++ b/decoder.go
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ func (d *Decoder) setDefaults(t reflect.Type, v reflect.Value) MultiError {
 	if v.Type().Kind() == reflect.Struct {
 		for i := 0; i < v.NumField(); i++ {
 			field := v.Field(i)
-			if field.Type().Kind() == reflect.Ptr && field.IsNil() && v.Type().Field(i).Anonymous {
+			if field.Kind() == reflect.Ptr && field.IsNil() && isAnonymousField(t, i) {
 				field.Set(reflect.New(field.Type().Elem()))
 			}
 		}
@@ -128,53 +128,64 @@ func (d *Decoder) setDefaults(t reflect.Type, v reflect.Value) MultiError {
 	for _, f := range struc.fields {
 		vCurrent := v.FieldByName(f.name)
 
-		if vCurrent.Type().Kind() == reflect.Struct && f.defaultValue == "" {
-			errs.merge(d.setDefaults(vCurrent.Type(), vCurrent))
-		} else if isPointerToStruct(vCurrent) && f.defaultValue == "" {
-			errs.merge(d.setDefaults(vCurrent.Elem().Type(), vCurrent.Elem()))
+		if f.defaultValue == "" {
+			if vCurrent.Type().Kind() == reflect.Struct {
+				errs.merge(d.setDefaults(vCurrent.Type(), vCurrent))
+			} else if isPointerToStruct(vCurrent) {
+				errs.merge(d.setDefaults(vCurrent.Elem().Type(), vCurrent.Elem()))
+			}
+			continue
 		}
 
-		if f.defaultValue != "" && f.isRequired {
-			errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("required fields cannot have a default value")})
-		} else if f.defaultValue != "" && vCurrent.IsZero() && !f.isRequired {
-			if f.typ.Kind() == reflect.Struct {
-				errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("default option is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers or slices")})
-			} else if f.typ.Kind() == reflect.Slice {
-				vals := strings.Split(f.defaultValue, "|")
-
-				// check if slice has one of the supported types for defaults
-				if _, ok := builtinConverters[f.typ.Elem().Kind()]; !ok {
-					errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("default option is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers or slices")})
-					continue
-				}
+		if f.isRequired {
+			errs.add("default-"+f.name, errRequiredFieldsCantHaveDefaults)
+			continue
+		}
+		if !vCurrent.IsZero() {
+			continue
+		}
 
-				defaultSlice := reflect.MakeSlice(f.typ, 0, cap(vals))
-				for _, val := range vals {
-					// this check is to handle if the wrong value is provided
-					convertedVal := builtinConverters[f.typ.Elem().Kind()](val)
-					if !convertedVal.IsValid() {
-						errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: fmt.Errorf("failed setting default: %s is not compatible with field %s type", val, f.name)})
-						break
-					}
-					defaultSlice = reflect.Append(defaultSlice, convertedVal)
-				}
-				vCurrent.Set(defaultSlice)
-			} else if f.typ.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
-				t1 := f.typ.Elem()
+		switch f.typ.Kind() {
+		case reflect.Struct:
+			errs.add("default-"+f.name, errUnsupportedDefaultFieldType)
 
-				if t1.Kind() == reflect.Struct || t1.Kind() == reflect.Slice {
-					errs.merge(MultiError{"default-" + f.name: errors.New("default option is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers or slices")})
-				}
+		case reflect.Slice:
+			vals := strings.Split(f.defaultValue, "|")
 
+			// check if slice has one of the supported types for defaults
+			if _, ok := builtinConverters[f.typ.Elem().Kind()]; !ok {
+				errs.add("default-"+f.name, errUnsupportedDefaultFieldType)
+				continue
+			}
+
+			defaultSlice := reflect.MakeSlice(f.typ, 0, cap(vals))
+			for _, val := range vals {
 				// this check is to handle if the wrong value is provided
-				if convertedVal := convertPointer(t1.Kind(), f.defaultValue); convertedVal.IsValid() {
-					vCurrent.Set(convertedVal)
-				}
-			} else {
-				// this check is to handle if the wrong value is provided
-				if convertedVal := builtinConverters[f.typ.Kind()](f.defaultValue); convertedVal.IsValid() {
-					vCurrent.Set(builtinConverters[f.typ.Kind()](f.defaultValue))
+				convertedVal := builtinConverters[f.typ.Elem().Kind()](val)
+				if !convertedVal.IsValid() {
+					errs.add("default-"+f.name, errIncompatibleValue(val, f))
+					break
 				}
+				defaultSlice = reflect.Append(defaultSlice, convertedVal)
+			}
+			vCurrent.Set(defaultSlice)
+
+		case reflect.Ptr:
+			t1 := f.typ.Elem()
+
+			if t1.Kind() == reflect.Struct || t1.Kind() == reflect.Slice {
+				errs.add("default-"+f.name, errUnsupportedDefaultFieldType)
+			}
+
+			// this check is to handle if the wrong value is provided
+			if convertedVal := convertPointer(t1.Kind(), f.defaultValue); convertedVal.IsValid() {
+				vCurrent.Set(convertedVal)
+			}
+
+		default:
+			// this check is to handle if the wrong value is provided
+			if convertedVal := builtinConverters[f.typ.Kind()](f.defaultValue); convertedVal.IsValid() {
+				vCurrent.Set(builtinConverters[f.typ.Kind()](f.defaultValue))
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -186,6 +197,11 @@ func isPointerToStruct(v reflect.Value) bool {
 	return !v.IsZero() && v.Type().Kind() == reflect.Ptr && v.Elem().Type().Kind() == reflect.Struct
 }
 
+//go:noinline
+func isAnonymousField(t reflect.Type, nr int) bool {
+	return t.Field(nr).Anonymous
+}
+
 // checkRequired checks whether required fields are empty
 //
 // check type t recursively if t has struct fields.
@@ -546,6 +562,16 @@ type unmarshaler struct {
 
 // Errors ---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+var (
+	errRequiredFieldsCantHaveDefaults = errors.New("required fields cannot have a default value")
+	errUnsupportedDefaultFieldType    = errors.New("default option is supported only on: bool, float variants, string, unit variants types or their corresponding pointers or slices")
+)
+
+//go:noinline
+func errIncompatibleValue(val string, f *fieldInfo) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("failed setting default: %s is not compatible with field %s type", val, f.name)
+}
+
 // ConversionError stores information about a failed conversion.
 type ConversionError struct {
 	Key   string       // key from the source map.
@@ -611,6 +637,14 @@ func (e MultiError) Error() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s (and %d other errors)", s, len(e)-1)
 }
 
+//go:noinline
+func (e MultiError) add(key string, err error) {
+	if e[key] == nil {
+		e[key] = err
+	}
+}
+
+//go:noinline
 func (e MultiError) merge(errors MultiError) {
 	for key, err := range errors {
 		if e[key] == nil {