I would expect that PG/EG participants in math competitions find themselves up against other PG/EG participants in short order, at which point the number hours of study and practice become a significant determining factor in success. Once "Who wants it more?" is a major part of the activity, it becomes very easy for someone to say, "Not me," or, "Eh... I want it, but not that badly."
Competitions can be fun and healthy, but striving for the very highest levels is often unhealthy. Training at any one thing comes with real opportunity costs as it crowds out other healthy activities, and the individual has to be willing to pay those costs.
That's really one of the problems with life.
You only feel good about yourself if you *are* at functioning the highest levels because you underachieve if you don't, but if you do that, then you end up essentially killing yourself.
Although part of this is the need for sleep.
Some people really only need about 4 hours of sleep a night.
Thus, you are faced with the choice of permanent/chronic underachievement along with the dissatisfaction that comes along with this or serious psychological damage.
