Reading the title and description of that Planet Money episode, I have never heard of a coach even at the professional sports level who said hard work was irrelevant.
They don't say it, but if you watch how they behave that is the reality. The hardest worker won't tay on a pro sports team if they can be replaced by someone more productive, even if that person doesn't work as hard. At the end of the day pro sports, when done by successful organizations is all about production.
Hard work can be a prerequisite for ability but it is no substitute for it.