His success wasn't due to natural talent, but to sheer hard work and determination.

determination 是由动词 determine（决定、决心）加上名词后缀 -ation 构成的名词，表示"决心、坚定的意志"。determine 本身由前缀 de-（表示"完全"）和词根 termine（界限）组成，字面意思是"划定界限"，引申为"下定决心"。