great song lol.

Lot more luck than people like to think. I mean when I think about most of my accomplishments it's been luck that put me into the situation where I could accomplish them.
First I was lucky to be born into a first world county where going for a higher education is relatively easy, lucky to have parents with some generational wealth that made it plausible for me to go for a PhD rather than immediately work after I got the bachelor's degree, and lucky to have met people at conferences that gave me connections to get a postdoc at a fancy university. Working hard is what keeps the doors open, but the trap people can fall into is thinking that working hard will always open those doors. I know people that worked much harder than me in graduate school but because of who they worked for and their own luck at conferences they are now working a job someone with a bachelor's could do making nowhere near what they should for their skill set.

Both can be true depending on the context tbh. Circumstances at birth determine a lot in a person's life that cant be changed or makes certain things near impossible to achieve by mere willpower or hard work, luck is a big factor. People generally settle and work hard to improve the reality they have to live, because they are conditioned to believe those area the "dreams" or the lifestyle they should be chasing.

In my personal case I can say I have the job I have out of luck for being born in the family I have, but what I have done with that job and what I have achieved is due to my own hard work. 

What about two brothers who both have the same opportunities, same family home, some education, same meals, same access to health services, same 1st world country etc. One succeeds one does not?

I too busted my arse off, sacrifices parties, my youth, my weekends where as my brother did not. That was the only difference between us. Now the only other factor that is different is I am older and I remember how much my parents struggled when we moved to Australia. So for me, the driver was never to end up like them and to ensure I would not have to rely on their money for too long as they worked multiple jobs to get us both through school. My brother on the other hand was younger and doesn't remember the struggle my parents had so he takes them for granted. 

Even when I went to UNI, many of my friends refused because they did not want to accumulate a debt to pay off later. I saw this as a lucky break, fuck government paid for me to study what I wanted and I could pay it after I got a job. Was it a pain loosing 8% of your wage? sure was, but that took no time to pay and now I am debt free. If I worried about accumulating a debt, then I would have never gone to UNI.

This is why I said you make your own luck. You have to put yourself out there and try and try again and be positive when things do not work out. Networking is also key. One thing I learned about Australia is not what you know but who you know. Even when I lost my job, because I once attended a course with someone, the mentioned me to a recruiter. That recruiter rang me and said there is a perfect job for you in another state. Now I could have played it safe as I found a part time job where I was living, but I took the change rejected that offer, and moved for a high risk unknown and in the end it paid off. Last 10 years have bee great for me.

Another example, if you are a bum on the dole/welfare who openly says they rather be on that then work, then it is hard to better your life on luck alone.

Define success...
If by success you mean being wealthy. I'd say 70% luck ; 30 % hard work
If by success you mean being happy with yourself and satisfied with your life I'd say 30 % luck ; 70 % hard work

Well since I believe in the complete sovereignty of God, I don't believe in luck. But "success" is perspective. I don't find it "successful" to be consumed with wealth and materialism. I'm a sinner that struggles with it like anyone else, but I've said since high school I had no desire or expectation to be wealthy. I knew I'd be a public school teacher and I figured I'd marry another teacher and we'd be poor, to start, together and maybe someday work our way into middle class.

Then reality hit. Suddenly I'm married to a graphics designer, who then works her way into a UX designer position (newer field of work) and making more money now than I would by the time I retired as a teacher by quite a lot. Then I switched to a lighting consultant position and am part time being an author until, if I am so blessed, one day I can write full time. I didn't expect or want this wealth, but now we have it and are trying to be wise in using it (using saved money to generate more money via passive income, with the ultimate goal of having more money to be generous with people that need it). We aren't greedy or money obsessed, we just suddenly have collective income neither of our parents had and are trying to be as wise with it as possible. But just because we have money doesn't mean we are successful. It's how we use it. In sensible, practical, and loving ways, or in wreckless self-indulgence. We hope for the first.

Interesting discussion topic!

All of them. I work hard (enough) where it matters, I also seem to have some talent (although the older I get, the more hard work seems to matter over talent), and finally there's also a good amount of luck:

• I wasn't born in very bad conditions or had to live under them.
• I wasn't really bullied (enough for it to matter anyway).
• There wasn't anything else that would seriously have affected my mental health.
• I'm physically healthy and never got into any serious accidents that could really endanger my health.
• I would probably have to attribute something to my upbringing as well. It has probably affected some of my choices and what kind of a person I am.
• I have my flaws (as does everyone), but the way I just happen to me is also probably at least partially because of luck.
• In university, I started with physics as my main. I was unlucky in that I switched to information technology later, but as luck would allow, I would later get a trainee position largely thanks to my physics studies. I believe this lucky chance made it much easier for me to get my next trainee position and, in turn, later get actually employed. This is probably the only major lucky 'incident' I can recall that got me where I am right now.

So yeah, it's probably mostly luck in the sense that luck is what gives me the base on which to, well, base everything. If I wasn't lucky, I might have to put a lot of hard work into other things, e.g. mental health. And finally, I also consider talent to be luck as well: If I'm not talented, it's hardly my fault, but if I am, it's hardly because of what I've done, right? Not much room for anything else than luck in regard to talent, I think.

tl;dr: Hard work, with its base on luck. Without luck, hard work might just go to waste.

Oh, you have several?

Mostly luck. I was unlucky in a lot of ways, but also lucky in many other ways.

Pretty much everyone works hard in one way or another.

First thing that came to mind. Such a great tune. Wanna be like Mike.

People do tend to focus way more on themselves and aren't great at comparing in general, especially when it get's more and more complex. If you can't comprehend yourself, how much less work you actually may be doing, it's going to impact you negatively, as well as others. If you're supposed to be doing the same work, for the same pay, and you're not pulling your weight, then over time this is going to be an issue, and will eventually bring down if not break the group. This is why constantly praising people and always being as positive as possible is a problem. That's not to say the opposite is better, but people need to be brought back to the balance of reality when they stray, and sometimes individuals need to learn the hard/harsh way unfortunately.

If you're in the Matrix for long enough, the rule is not to free you, because the mind has too much trouble letting go (of fantasy land) and its dangerous. This isn't just something written into the story to hold it together, it's a legit life lesson, like the many others that come up.

Luck of course being something that exists if you don't believe in fate/destiny. Though in that case, if fate doesn't exist, and every choice you make is what writes your fate as you go, then you're basically making your own luck. Is Harvey Dent lucky? What if you assumed luck and choice were similar if not the same thing? Not all choices are equally good or bad, just like how not all luck is equally as lucky or unlucky. What if the reason for your luck of birth and possibilities was due to the choices other people made, like your parents, or the Founding Fathers of America? Was that all due to luck, or did choices lead to those outcomes as well?

If the choices you made make you lucky, and that allows you to become successful, then is it really a negative that successful people get to make the rules? Assuming of course they are using their past luck to assure that if you follow those rules, you'll have the best chance of succeeding like them, instead of some who might use their luck to rig the system against you.

One man's trash is another man's treasure? One man's luck is another man's choice?

It get's much more complicated when you take into account some successful people are prone to being responsible, knowing many others aren't at that level, so they want to control as much as possible, which can in ways be detrimental. Many of these people also have to struggle with ego. It clouds the minds judgement and isn't easy to deal with. Too confident or to spineless are seen as negative traits, especially for leaders, so finding the balance of ego isn't easy. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

If fate does exist, and that's all there is, then you're just along for the ride, good and/or bad. Much less complicated, though also much less exciting.

Any chance life could be some of both perhaps? Like some video games? You're going to start and end in the same pre determined manner and be set on a path. You get to make choices along the way, but you're at times ending up at certain checkpoints no matter what. The choices you make determine how lucky you are as you reach each of those checkpoints. Deja vu? Just a thought. Who knows?