In reflecting on high quality work I have seen, among students and researchers:

Taste: It helps to have good taste, to choose problems that are fruitful, to modify projects so that they are more interesting, to focus on what matters. It's not just a good idea, it is an idea that allows for development.

Pride in Workmanship: Carefulness, scrupulousness, timely performance. No excuses. You stand behind the work you deliver.

Storytelling: You can describe what you are doing in a thoughtful manner, you can tell a story about your project that makes sense of it, even to those who are not expert or cognoscenti. Your project itself is that story. And you can write well enough so that your grammar and diction do not get in the way.

What seems to matter much less is brilliance, intelligence, following the rules, doing what was required--what is often needed for much schoolwork, but seems not too helpful in projects.