I would definitely say he worked hard for his powers Only throughout Part 1 that is. The only thing in Shippuden that I've seen Naruto bust his ass off for nearly as much as he did back in part 1 was the Rasenshuriken. In my opinion Kishimoto-san changed his ideals towards the series after the time skip.
The problem is the concept of "Destiny;" "Destiny" can be portrayed as like a "Force," this "Force" acts and plays in a way that triggers a series of events that will lead to a predetermined destination in this case since Naruto is the Child of Prophecy many can make the argument that his "Destiny" was to be hated so that he could understand pain, someone (Iruka) would be the one to set him on the path of good, he would slowly, but much faster than anyone unprecedented (You can call this Main character growth) then add in what missions he went on, the life and death moments, the people he has met, the people he has battled and the things he has said, since there is a being who can tell prophecies and foresee futures that means that everything Naruto has done has been guided by the invisible hand of destiny