Your kidding yourself if you think just hard work will earn a ticket to the big dance. I wish it was that easy. Genetics has a say in it, despite the anything is possible mantra. Sure hard work can get you towards the pointy end. But the tip of the spear has a few other factors included other than hard work. Just my opinion
Yeah genetics are important, but a lot of people are very quick to blame genetics instead of taking an honest look at their training. Someone here has a signature block that’s something like 'don’t be mad that you didn’t get the results from the training that you didn’t do".
My personal experience suggests genetics is not so much a factor, or that people are confusing it with other things. My triathlon window was early to mid 2000’s, with a cameo in 2011. At that time I had a regular training partner, about 3 years older. He was a solid, if not spectacular swimmer, but 2-3 mins quicker than me in an IM at my best. At that time I had him comfortably on the bike and the run. Before we met his first few HI’s were 4:5x to low 5’s. During my peak years he settled to around low 4:4x. His first IM was high 10’s, settling to low 10’s once I disappeared from the scene.
He stuck at it, year after year. Always training smart (adequate rest), reading up on the latest in terms of nutrition etc. Upgrading his tech as much as his wife permitted. Though there were 1-2 HI outliers due to course conditions, he got down around 4:30 +/-. The full distance also started to click and he became a high 9’s. Eventually it all clicked and he got a spot with a 9:29 (3:28 ish run), can’t recall if a rolldown.
I would not say his case was genetics at all. He really put in the hard yards and persevered for years. His life was also pretty stable; decent job, finances under control (without being ‘wealthy’), a patient but supportive family. A quiet, well-balanced individual. He did suggest his tech upgrades on the bike really felt like it improved his bike splits, but certainly didn’t buy him the spot.
Genetically, he’d probably agree that I had the edge. He was just so much more patient than I, plus had all those other stable factors working for him. He learned how to get the best out of himself.