Ya, I do not believe in an elite group with "native" talent granting them superiority. That might make you the best person in your home town but means nothing on the national level. By the time you are looking at nationals, all the non-talent people have been filtered out. Everyone now has the correct body type. They all have near-perfect reflexes. There is also no grinding. The guy who wins nationals doesn't do so because he tried harder than the guy in second place. Everyone is trying as hard as is humanly possible, to the point that trying any harder means inevitable injury. What matters is strategic training, good coaching, and access to resources.
Want to be a good swimmer? Join a club and try hard. Want to be the best swimmer in your city? Get a private coach and a 50 meter lane all to yourself every afternoon. Want to win a medal? Be rich. Live across the street from the 50m pool, have control over that pool's water temperature, have 24/7 access to a full gym, a dietitian, and a sports medicine doctor who won't make you sit in a waiting room.
Want to be a good swimmer? Join a club and try hard. Want to be the best swimmer in your city? Get a private coach and a 50 meter lane all to yourself every afternoon. Want to win a medal? Be rich. Live across the street from the 50m pool, have control over that pool's water temperature, have 24/7 access to a full gym, a dietitian, and a sports medicine doctor who won't make you sit in a waiting room.