Read your first post again, and tell me if both posts are saying the same thing. Had you not made the first post, I wouldn't have come back so hard.
Working hard and making the most of a shot or getting your break is not the same as being in the right place at the right time. It sounds like you know that.
And being marketable is definitely part of it. Just as there are many champions who were not technical marvels, there are countless technical marvels that never made it to the top. The total package (pardon the pun) is what makes the big money, and since the entire business is a work, the top is defined by who draws the most money.