On Responsibility

I've heard it said... somewhere... that students who do poorly are likely to say it's due to a lack of talent, and students who do well are more likely to say it's due to hard work. I wish I could pinpoint where I've read this - can anyone help me out?

The conclusion typically drawn is that if we can get students to learn to appreciate hard work, then they will be more likely to succeed. For a long time I've been unsatisfied with that idea but unsure why.

I think it's unlikely that those results have anything to do with an individual's work ethic. I find it much easier to believe that people have a natural tendency to externalize failure and take credit for their success. I think it's human nature to want to own our successes and blame others for failure.

What do you think?