This obviously depends on the definition of talent. If talent is taken from the dictionary definition: "the natural endowments of a person" (https://www.merria

This obviously depends on the definition of talent. If talent is taken from the dictionary definition: "the natural endowments of a person" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talent https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talent) then obviously hard work has nothing to do with it (by definition) and therefore it is just pure luck - no one chooses their genes. I guess what you meant to argue is that innate talent doesn't exist ("for many of us") and therefore, talking about expertise and success ("talent") depends mostly on hard work, and not on some "luck of the genetic lottery". However, if you read past the 4th paragraph in your linked article, you'll find the "innate talent doesn't exist" view is not supported at all: "Ericsson and Pool gloss over or omit critical details of research they review that undermine the anti-talent argument" "Ericsson and Pool also leave out a good deal of evidence that runs counter to the anti-talent argument. For example, they claim that professional baseball players have “no better eyesight than an average person,” but there is evidence to suggest otherwise." "Another notable omission from Peak is a study of 18 prodigies by Joanne Ruthsatz and colleagues—to date, the largest study of the intellectual abilities of prodigies. (Given the rarity of prodigies, a sample size of 18 is very large in this area of research.) The researchers gave the prodigies a standardized IQ test, and found that all scored very high on working memory (most were above the 99th percentile, and the average score for the sample was in the top 1%). A major factor underlying the ability to acquire complex skills, working memory is substantially heritable." "There is also no discussion of the landmark Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (...) Now in its forty-fifth year, this longitudinal study has revealed that, even in the top 1%, cognitive ability in childhood is a significant predictor of objective occupational achievements in adulthood, such as earning advanced degrees, publishing scientific articles, and patent awards." "Based on our own evaluation of the evidence, we argue in a recent Psychological Bulletin article that training is necessary to become an expert, but that genetic factors may play an important role at all levels of expertise, from beginner to elite."