There are other types of success, but lets just talk about massive financial success.

I think an average but determined person could build a freelancing + online business if he or she has a long enough runway (5-10 years.) This is called a lifestyle business. Some people just want to work 15-20 hours a week on a beach in Thailand. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.

However, others want to aim for the big money ($100M+). For me, it's because of a pet charity cause of mine.

What does one have to do differently? Obviously get lucky, but what can be controlled?

I think angel/venture capital is important. Very few companies get big without outside investment. Thre is a trade off obviously.