No one is saying that you become wealthy by working harder but you will gain more income by dong so and if not you should find a job elsewhere because something is wrong with the employer in that case assuming that the worker is even half way decent.
Your second paragraph is invalid because no one is saying that everyone will get rich by working hard/well and there are cops,plumbers and electricians that do make over 100k a year right in our very society.I never once saw August say that he was rich.
You can find many thousands of people did just what August did though.