cf. Talent is overrated Geof Colvin, 2008 & "Deliberate Practice" in the making of an expert, Harvard Business Review, K Anders Ericsson, 2008 http://www.coachingmanagement.nl/The%20Making%20of%20an%20Ex...
It's been a long standing tradition to oversell the power of hard work. I believe the word for it is "hopium".