Hi - I agree that hard work is almost certainly more important than talent, but talent ('innate ability') also matters in many fields. On this note, you might want to check out chapter 3 of Malcolm Gladwell's 'Outliers: The Story of Success' in which Gladwell summarizes a lot of research done on the relationship between innate ability, hard word, LUCK, and success - an analogy which illustrates why innate ability does matter is taken from basketball - you have to basically be 6'2 to get into major league - that's the 'threshold height' - over that, being taller won't make you a better basketball player, from there on success is down to hard work.

The other variable Gladwell talks a lot about is the role that sheer luck plays in success (backed up with a stack of research) - he basically says you need talent, hard work and luck to be a success - the most famous example she cites here are those of Bill Gates, Bill Joy and Steve Jobs - all very talented and very hard working, yes, but also lucky enough to have been born at the right time and to have grown up in an environment where they had sufficient time to amass 10 000 hours of tech practice before their 20s...

It's a bit of a reality-downer, but I find Gladwell's arguments (that hard work alone is insufficient to bring success) pretty convincing, and also something of a comfort for the many people who try and try and try, but just get nowhere!