Well, if you want to be very precise about it, and start excluding dictionary definitions ([1] "success = the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the li

Well, if you want to be very precise about it, and start excluding dictionary definitions ([1] "success = the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.") - then I'd argue it's more important to define "perseverance". Do we define "perseverance" as "keep doing something for a (somewhat longer) while"? If yes, it's absolutely required. Do we define it to require "in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement."? Then, it's far less obvious. Sure, there are always some obstacles... but in my experience, perseverance is more often caused by success, than the other way around. It builds up - you have some success, do the thing some more, have more success, do it even more, and so on until you're really, really good at it - and what looks from outside as excruciating effort & grit is in fact a work of love and passion, sometimes even a way to relax. You don't grit your teeth & keep doing a PhD that you hate until you discover GANs; you simply do the thing that you love until you reach a level of expertise where discovering GANs is inevitable. I think those who do their PhDs with pure grit, despite disliking the domain, will be far less likely to produce world-changing innovations. [1] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/success https://www.dictionary.com/browse/success