I believe this, mostly. There are those who refuse to learn and do poorly, but compared to an average programmer instead of the worst, the real difference is ability to remain focused despite interruption (or a good mitigation strategy), a desire to improve oneself, and a willingness to continue working through a solution to either completion or determination of it being the wrong answer and finding an alternative.

Probably but I doubt you'll ever hear recruiters say: We're looking for rockstar ninjas but we'll settle for someone who's very productive by blowing off bullshit distractions.