I don’t think you can be at the top of any technical or competitive field without a level of obsession beyond the norm. Athletes eventually need to go beyond the weekend warrior basics. The bare minimum for Doctors is to study for recertification, but you don’t hit the top without voluntarily keeping up with the latest research etc. And as easy as it is to coast as a developer, sysadmin etc to actually be at the top requires unusual levels of dedication.

Remember many extremely gifted athletes never make into a top collage team let alone the NBA etc. Similarly someone can be unusually intelligent and well educated, but that alone isn’t enough. Many people talk a good game, but being the best isn’t about having a large ego it’s about actually solving problems and improving things.