You're implying that Musk's "follow through" is a result of his money and connections, when the reverse is true.

Yes, of course, now that he has money, connections, and a powerful reputation, that makes it easier for him to do things. But he created the money, connections, and power by being able to do things even when he had none of them.

Obviously that eases the process but some people follow through and some don't. Some have big dreams and some just invest for themselves only. I can think of loads of rich people who aren't out there starting companies to push forward space exploration, car technology, tunnelling machines, etc. He has pretty serious runs on the board now.