Oh absolutely. Having a great teacher really accelerates the process. I've been lucky enough to have studied with many great teachers over the years, and this is a common thread I've noticed. I've also noticed that really high-level skills tend to run in "family lines." For instance, my piano teacher can trace her own lineage through Artur Schnabel (one of the greatest pianists of all time), Theodor Lechitizky, and all the way back to Bach.

It's unfortunate (or perhaps a blessing in disguise) that there's no real "Teacher/Student" analogue for CS. On the other hand, the Programming/CS community is far more open about sharing information than some of the other communities I've been in. The piano community for instance is in general somewhat secretive. Ideas about piano playing seem to be passed down from generation to generation. Near the top, the techniques for obtaining "excellent playing" seem to be well agreed upon. As we get closer to the bottom, lots of misconceptions and disagreements seem to surface.

In the programming community, while there are obvious camps, since information is available so much more freely it's vastly easier to make informed decisions about what's stupid and what's not.