Basics

Essentially if you have talent AND work you will be the best
If you have talent and don't use it (due to lack of help/resources, OR slacking )
And if you have no/little talent but work hard as hell and grit, you will be above average/great but not the greatest
Nature v Nurture is complex, hybrid, and nuanced
TLDR get resources and work hard

Orgin

It is most likely a Universal Concept and thus may have originated/been written elsewhere, BUT
User:Eric had a teacher who spread it
Also in sports, succh as User: Eric's Year Round Competitive Swimming for most of their childhood, this is VERY true
Personal bit:
- I was not too talented, but worked hard
- Talented people but slackers i could beat (also learing phase is VERY easy to do this (ie olympic runner genes person who never learned to run well, etc) )
- But eventually you sort of learn all you can learn ie Dimishing Returns and all
  - Swimming is VERY hydrodynammically based unlike running (due to density of fluid i think?) (thus good for thinkers) ie you can loose 0.26 secconds in a 50m swim just by hand angle or even a fancier swim suit (this happened in the bejjing olympics and got the nasa spec swim suits ones banned lol (these were stroke specific, more hydrodynamic than skin, and had minor bouancy improvements) (BIG tech lol) ) )
  - A good easy to see example is swim caps (ie coover high drag hair) , shaving, and tech suits (they are waterproofish and "shed" water when you get out (look it up ie olympics images etc)
- When this happens, and you have all the cool tech (minus 500USD suits lol, those are olympic level only) you kind of "peak" which is fine, then you continue for fun/excercise and/or quit and do something else
This is true for any skill ie singing, instruments, sports, welding, learning etc