I think there are not many people that have few distractions. It's a (very very hard) decision to force yourself getting rid of them or ignoring them. Distractions are everywhere. At some point you have to resist and move on.

I know if I can spend enough effort I can learn to reasonably play Irish flute, the only question is am I willing to put in the effort?

Once I decided I really want to get something, the rest is relatively easy -- yes, that means resolve and the right attitude and some amount of consistent effort -- I have not said "easy" means "free".

I have been in the top (say top 3-10) of a number of online games and had a lot of discussions with people who were at the top about what makes them different from all those other people who never reach the top.

Most of the time the difference is people get stuck and they don't know how to unstuck themselves. They are not listening to advice. They are not honestly trying to understand what keeps them stuck, etc. That's a problem of attitude.

I think training your resolve and the attitude is separate problem from achieving your goals, this is something many people would gain a lot from if they focused on it for a bit.