What!!!??? Talent is a thing. For example, some people are fast. There is no amount of work that other people can do to get as fast as them. That's like saying that "you're not born tall." Hard work matters, but without talent the ceiling is pretty low. It's harder to see with intelligence, but anybody who has worked in education knows that, while there is a floor that anyone can get to (unless they have developmental disabilities), some kids have much higher ceilings than others.