Yeah well, in everything I've done as far back as I can remember when I worked harder I got better results and when I slacked off, I got worse results. I'm thinking how hard you work has a little more to do with success than you give it credit for.
Working hard doesn't, by default, lead to financial security.
Working hard can lead to financial security but there's a lot of luck involved as well. Not to mention planning - unless you count that as work.
Trust me I am not saying working hard doesn't lead of results or don't work hard. I am saying that poverty isn't synonymous with "lazy" or even "not working hard enough."
Regarding the people you grew up with, you say they work as hard as you do. Are you sure about that? And while they may be working hard, how smart are they working? For instance, some went to college, did they get a degree in something that is in high demand where the pay is good? And getting a college degree is only one piece of a good education. How much did they really learn, and consequently, how competitive are they in the job market? Even if they're all in high demand STEM fields, they still have to compete with the thousands of other job seekers after all.
Thinking through the alternatives and making smarter choices is hard work. And that is cumulative. It's kind of like compound interest too. You may not see a big difference from day to day or month to month but given some roll of the dice in circumstances, over the course of years and decades, working hard will almost always make a huge difference.