Being prepared is important, for sure, but if being prepared always or even usually meant desired outcomes in business, our world would look much different than it does now.
I feel that luck is important, but also understanding the situation fully and having a positive point of view. Basically the mental state of the person is important.
Everything else is very minor but yes it makes a difference.
As I get older I have come to realize this may have held me back, I see BS everywhere, it seems to drive society, you might call it belief, but I would call it delusion. The thing is if you can get enough people to believe you can get a lot done, its all about motivation.
I would prefer a society where we embrace truth above all and accept that luck is mostly what the universe is about (Quantum uncertainty, ie the universe is trying to kill you) and that the purpose of society is to reduce the influence of luck in a successful life.
The belief in a higher power would certainly help stay motivated.
And I would add to that "...oportunity, and you act upon it". Internal locus of control fella.
If you just mean a successful career that takes care of your needs and much of your wants, provides for a comfortable life and a family, I would argue motivation, dedication and skill play far larger roles.
In fact I would say extreme success requires some extreme good luck, whereas a more "standard" success requires good luck less and is more about not having bad luck to counter your abilities.
If those things are good from the start, you don't have to spend years correcting them.
It makes far more sense to compare amongst individuals in a peer group.
Luck is massive. Hardwork is also massive. Luck towers over hardwork, but if you want to be somewhere other than you are you better not be coasting.
There is, in fact, a central government of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and it does issue passports.
A child growing up with parents that own a home in London has a better shot in life than one growing up in the desert.
However, there are many people who grew up in a household like yours, with a talent like yours, with the level of wealth you had, and so on and so forth.
The distribution of outcomes of your adult life; e.g. the delta on that initial point; is not primarily due to luck. People don't act as if they're likely to be hit by a bus or win the lottery tomorrow, because they're not.