There absolutely no substitute for hardwork, however, its also easy to blame those who don't succeed simply for not working hard enough. The path to success is the combination of hardwork + luck. Imagine as a scientist slaving away on your research project with less than minimum wage, no recognition and with your boss stealing all the credit from you. How likely will you be able to achieve success if you don't change your circumstances? I would say not very likely. Your personality as well as your environment plays a crucial role in achieving success