The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. Hard work is essential to the true meaning of success. It would be nearly impossible to attain your goal to any measure of satisfaction without the application of hard work. My contention is that hard work is necessary to be successful because success by any other means would involve personal disappointment and possible public contempt.
Success is best achieved through sheer hard work, industry, and perseverance regardless of the amount of time spent on a project or the number of obstacles that need to be overcome. For instance, personal success for me would be to achieve my goal without anyone’s help, without the element of luck, and without being disingenuous. That it is why it is essential for my own self-worth to earn my success through hard work.
It is also important to secure the respect of other people. It is essential to earn the respect of your fellow man by demonstrating that you have achieved success through your own endeavors. For example, some people may achieve what they claim to be success through personal wealth, family connections, dishonesty, or misrepresentation. Such protestations of triumph only earn them disdain. People know that such individuals have not really earned their success.
It does matter how one achieves success in both the eyes of one’s peers but more importantly oneself. Achieving success through hard work can encourage others and inspire them to follow in your example, maybe even for the betterment of mankind. To conclude, hard work is necessary in the accomplishment of success because without it, true success is elusive.