Luck is part of it, meaning you'll do hard work and luck will follow, but again, it doesn't mean that it always works because, again, you've got unlucky. Let's say you're very skilled and have a lot of knowledge on business and marketing, but the problem is that it really doesn't work on you; you can't establish a business or it will fail. Ive noticed this also with my friend before; he is a really smart guy in programming and really good, but no matter what, he can't get promoted, and mostly others get promoted.
To move up the career ladder, you need to have many properties, it is not enough just to be smart. Of course, each individual case must be considered individually, but if you are truly successful in something, then your results will sooner or later be noticed. The most important thing is how to demonstrate our desire to grow, because sometimes there are times when modesty becomes our bad ally. It always comes down to the fact that it is not enough to have one quality, you need an integrated approach, then it can affect the result in the best possible way.