I think he out smarted everybody, he thought about bodybuilding logically, in terms of actual work, all the other guys it was monkey see monkey do, lots of cardio/lots of training, not taking rest days, not taking the off-season seriously and meticulously. The other dudes were actually working more, but that doesn't yeld more results. Dorian was able to realize this and capitalize on it. He didn't listen to gurus/coaches, he studied pharmacology, nutrition, training...tested various theories and approaches and found through his own analysis what worked best for him. He worked smarter, not harder.