I guess my interpretation of the statement is that the one constant in every success is the persistence and or determination to keep trying  

Playful comes from the silly that comes from the angered state of "well we tried everything else.

Talent, education, Genius, and experience come along in time as part of the arsenal in your quest or your effort to succeed.  

BUT persistence and determination as the first step and every step with the determination to keep moving forward when common sense tells you to quit.  When friends and relatives tell you to hang it up.  Having the persistence to "Press on"  is the the key.

Really? I thought so once - no longer.

No one quality is omnipotent. However, persistence will keep you in the game while you figure out what else you need. :-) Sometimes a bloody-minded sense of dogged determination can rob you of the very thing you need in order to succeed. Some things are impossible to really learn unless you approach them with a playful attitude. I've found language is one of them.

For those who find barnacle-on-a-rock persistence impossible, waves-battering-the-shore relentlessness can be nearly as good, perhaps better. It is easier to adjust your strategy with each wave. You get stronger, resistance weakens from the constant battering. It has its merits.

But whether you're talking about persistence, relentlessness, or playfulness, they are all forms of application - talent, genius, and education are all things you can have in some measure without pouring yourself into something.  In one sense, you get what you pay for. If you want something magickal to happen, the magick is you.

Platitudes and proverbs are like bus stations - they're mostly useful for heading some place else or dusting yourself off upon arrival - which was this for you? 

Lupestro