Do not judge TMA just because you're not good at it

[Uke]

They're 'part & parcel'
Different systems often have different environments, by which I'm not talking about what the floor is made out of.
There's the ratio of time dedicated to functional and non-functional practice for one thing.
The quality of instruction another.
The availability of training partners who can stretch your ability yet another.
These are all part of the environment.

To the point: Not all systems are created equally. And not all instructors have a thorough enough education to be able to convey concepts, underlying principles and raw technique to a student with no experience.

was[/I] talking about "top people".
Isn't the aspiration of the majority,to be "top people"?

No one can speak to the aspirations of the majority. I can however speak to the majority of my encounters in martial arts. Most people I have encountered aren't looking to be top dog. The majority just want to be functional. They want to have the abilities to perform and execute, but not necessarily pursue competition to prove their worth among the elite. So these people have found their own measure of success in that they are functional.

You just agreed with what I said;

I don't think I did. You can still have success without gifts, but you will not have success in competitive sports without an intense work ethic. So its not necessarily a combination. But that wasn't the point and you neglected to further quote that passage.

But that wasn't the point I made. I had to separate the two because you can't choose who is and isn't gifted. You can foster an intense work ethic in someone if you catch them young, or if they have the desire but not the skills and know-how.