An article in Scientific American on the role of luck in achieving success theorizes that, although the usual qualities and conditions associated with success are important, they simply do not tell the whole story, and a lot of statistical evidence pointing to things like the date of birth, the spelling of one's name, etc., have significant influence!
If luck is a factor in achieving success perhaps we ought to take a more careful look at what we think is success. Interestingly, there is no correlation between what the world regards as success and what Jesus held as the highest attainment. In fact, "Said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
A helpful interpretation: "It is 'easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,' than for sinful beliefs to enter the kingdom of heaven, eternal harmony." (S&H) Sinful beliefs? - any self that thinks it can make a go of it without God, divine Intelligence, Love. The greatest danger in striving for and achieving success is the swelling up of ego and the diminishing of the awareness of God-dependency. Jesus set the golden standard when he said, "Of mine own self I can do nothing. He that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works."
Why should it be so difficult to attribute our success to our Maker? For starters, the wrong thinking of the world is aggressively idolizing the successful one, and unless that individual can hold their own in their allegiance to God - and essentially despise the adulation - they will submit to it. Jesus was never impressed by the adulation because he "knew what was in man." - so susceptible to idol-worship, so shallow in love.
If success were defined by what pleases God instead of what pleases the man, the luck factor would be eliminated, and since luck denies reason, love, and law, it certainly should be eliminated.