No matter what you do, there will always be someone better at it getting paid less than you, and there will always be someone worse at it getting paid more than you. You can strive for excellence on principle or you can ooze by in mediocrity, and the result is largely the same.
It truly doesn’t matter if you try. Matter of fact, it can be detrimental to your career to be a tryhard, because the better you are at a role, the more likely you are to stay in it.