the hole in this argument is that you need to know what to work hard on. the psych studies about &#x27;praise kids for their work not their brains&#x27; seem legit as a way to improve test performance but school is scripted. In the real world success is based on how you navigate without a script, and persistence matters there but correct choices also matter.<p>Given an oracle that gives perfect advice of course hard work is the largest factor. That&#x27;s the experiment being done in the test performance psych studies.<p>The &#x27;deliberate practice&#x27; papers capture this best. The &#x27;practice&#x27; half is hard work, but the &#x27;deliberate&#x27; half is the ability to plan and analyze your training to advance your skills. With music or sports a coach can help you. With product, business or war (fields requiring strategy because the rules are ever-changing) not so much.