Paul Graham wrote an essay in 2009 about what makes a good startup founder. His answer was two words: relentlessly resourceful. The notion of an entrepreneur finding success through relentless resourcefulness has stuck with me over the years. I've watched this observation play out in numerous scenarios in entrepreneurs that I've met. Some certainly were relentlessly resourceful and others could be described better as hapless. I've also seen some start out as relentlessly resourceful and then drift towards hapless. I think there are many dimensions to this trait and it looks different for different people and different domains.
I put together a talk on this. It's about not giving up, taking risks, being world-class, building community, and practicing creativity. These are the habits that let you make your own luck.