Is the key to making it in anything just extreme amounts of vocabulary in said thing?
What I mean with vocabulary is more abstract than just words. It's memorising patterns stored in your brain that you internalise so you can spot/recognise instantly when you encounter them.

You can call this experience. It's that magical difference between someone who is good at something from years of practice and someone who is bad. However certain people practice for years and still haven't gotten far. This is the lack of vocabulary.

So the quickest way to master something is to learn as much vocabulary. As much exposure as many different situations to develop this experience.
It would still take a really long time. You can't really beat someone who has spent their life doing something unless they are completly stupid or you are a genius.