No matter what anyone says, your success is tied to your efforts. I know, I sometimes wanna call BS on this too, but nope, it’s true…
Your effort indicates how bad you want something, how many times you are willing to fail and fail again, and it also shows how willing you are to WORK for what you want, instead of having it handed to you (probably easier, yes, but definitely not nearly as meaningful, in my opinion!)
If you aren’t willing to make 100% effort, then, in all honesty, it doesn’t give the impression you really want something. Go on, go give it your all, and let me know how it works out for you!