Who has the upper hand in academics (and possibly later in life) in your eyes?
Is the the one who excels in pure thought power, or is it the working animal who studies and works on university related materials multiple hours a day but has trouble understanding new concepts fast?
I have found that the hard working fellows tend to have better exam grades on average, however they do weaker in those subjects where you have to think for yourself, come up with new ideas and express your thoughts.
Purely based on own observation and experience. I understand that gifted people who don't do shit can't achieve shit either... therefore I assume that even the gifted ones do minimal work.