Hard work and skill or luck?

At the end of each How I Built This podcast, the host Guy Raz asks his guests whether their success is based on hard work and skill or luck. I don’t understand how anyone can believe that their achievements were anything but primarily lucky. ​

I have been overwhelmingly lucky:

• Born in the USA 
• In the late 20th century
• White
• To an intact highly functional family
• Without any huge issues (addictions, abuse,...)
• Decently intelligent
• Over 6' tall and attractive enough
• With parents who ensured i had a great primary and secondary education
• Supported by teachers who went above and beyond
• And coaches who believed in me and spent tons of times helping me develop sports and leadership skills
• And donors who financed my scholarships
• Followed by a government that provided low interest loans that made an elite college possible. 
• And on and on and on...

I'm one of those rare cases of people who jumped up the wealth/income distributions from near the bottom (though we certainly weren't in real poverty) to near the top (though I'm no billionaire.) I had to work hard and take risks to make that transformation happen, but mostly I was lucky. If circumstances hadn't conspired to support me, I'd be nowhere.

I believe that the world would be a better place if "successful" people appreciated how important luck was in their journey. Since those people have outsized power, more gratitude should breed more empathy which should result in policies that would be better for those who are less lucky.