[Ninja_Bait]

No one has said practice time?

As StevenB said, powerhouse teams build (or perhaps invest in) accurate fields. As Bongle said, powerhouse teams build fast. As pfreivald said, powerhouse teams design with years of experience (theirs or otherwise) behind them.

But the real key is being able to practice. Sometimes that's just about finishing fast enough to have that week in the end of build season to drive around, or to go to a scrimmage. Sometimes that's about building a practice bot. But practice helps teams work out kinks and discover problems they never anticipated or new uses for existing mechanisms. That's why teams usually get better from one regional to the next.

Powerhouse teams start out with the benefit of a solid shakedown of the robot and are thus a leap ahead of the competition.