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A new article from the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal shows that exceptional performance is not necessarily the direct result of special talent, experience, or sheer luck.

Instead, it derives from engaging in sustained, intense, and deliberate practice in a particular area of expertise, in order to improve performance and cognitive thinking levels.

“The same principles that apply to starting a new venture, such as self-regulatory mechanisms, and delaying gratification for a more long-term goal, apply to the process of getting in shape athletically. Through a sustained, intense effort someone can build the strength of their body or their business,” said lead author Dr. Robert A. Baron.

The authors show that across many fields of expertise most people work only “hard enough” to achieve a level of performance that is deemed “acceptable” by themselves and others, with no further gains. Through the principle of deliberate practice most anyone, the authors claim, can rise above this plateau to true excellence.