If you need better performance than plain apache/cgi provides, mod_perl is not your only option. In particular take a look at CGI::SpeedyCGI, which can be installed without root priveleges. (There is also Fastcgi , but I believe you need to be root to install it)
Yes, definitely take a look at SpeedyCGI if you're not able to use mod_perl. (Think of it as mod_perl without the headaches.) If you're using strict properly and cleaning up after your globals, you can often use the script as-is without any modifications.