Successful persons  have a combination of trait and factors such a motivation, hard work, positive attitude for accomplishing their desirable goals. it i hard to single out one!

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.

Vince Lombardi

http://www.quotes-central.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/the_price_of_success1.jpg

This is a very good question and tricky. I think both because one boost the other. Positive attitude drives intenal motivation  while external motivation assist attitude positively. Therefor, achievement will be best.

Both attitude and motivation are essential for great achievement. But attitude is more essential even to get motivated. Attitude is rigid and take time to change but motivation is comparatively soft and situational. So, if attitude is positive, you can get motivated to achieve.

Attitudes shape who and what we are. A negative attitude support anxiety or depression.

Motivation is simply the ability and energy required to sustain a positive attitude. If a positive attitude is the fire, then motivation is what improves it.

http://www.slideshare.net/vidazs/the-power-of-motivation-and-work-attitude

Motivation is the driver for achievement.

While Attitude aligns with motives, success is sure

In my view 'Motivation' is the level at which one is able to find "a reason to act". While, 'Attitude' is the mental state that one have while carrying out her/his actions to the best of her/his ability.

An attitude is a mental orientation, an emotional position.  Attitudes shape who and what we are. A negative attitude support anxiety or depression.  If, instead, your attitude supports healthy, constructive ambition, then expect to start feeling more empowered and positive. 'Motivation, on the other hand, is simply the ability and energy required to sustain a positive attitude. If a positive attitude is the fire, then motivation is what fans it.'

http://www.self-coaching.net/blog/whats-the-difference-between-attitude-and-motivation/

I fully agree that 'attitude' is the major driver to huge success, while a positive attitude could help someone in achieving great, a negative attitude results in anxiety/depression.

Dear Ajay,

I would have to say motivation. To me it is motivation that forces me out of bed when I have a day full of administration meetings. I do not believe any one of us has a "positive attitude" with a day ahead like that. 

Douglas

Personal valuing into attainment value

The intrinsic value of a task is the interest in doing the task and the enjoyment of it that motivates one to want to do it. The cost value of a task is the effort spent in doing it that reduces the time available for other tasks and the negative costs of doing it such as having anxiety during performance or having a fear of failure

http://www.cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/tesl-ej/ej18/a2.html

Motivation coupled with positive attitude leads to success.

It seems that ,we have different opinions regarding importance of 'Attitude' or 'Motivation' in achieving the great success. I personally vote for the 'attitude' as I believe that right attitude is the most important for getting huge success.

It is the positive attitude that brings optimism and motivates us toward success. A positive attitude awakens inner strength, energy, motivation and initiative.

I think in some cases it is very difficult to differentiate between these two as under specific set of conditions the both character traits are supporting each other.

Dear @Ajay, many good answers, fast response. I was reading the @Nageswara attachment and I was surprised about the existence of the Institute for Work Attitude and Motivation! Wonderful material for education in the field. Some remarks follow: "Motivational and Attitudinal Patterns are part of our behavioral habits that impact thinking , decision making , and behaving by helping us manage our experiences....As a result of the connections and relationships, motivational and attitudinal patterns turn out to be a major force in predicting performance levels in given contexts...Motivation and attitude are not abilities. Abilities/Competencies determine whether you can do something; motivation and attitude influence whether you want to do it ...." 

Hi Ajay,

I agree with Behrouz however I will go a step further. When we compare attitude and motivation both have their own significance. However if we assign values to alphabets A to Z from 1 to 26 i.e. 1 for A, 11 for K and 26 for Z etc. The total of attitude comes to be 100. However alone attitude may not work as it could be negative, So Positive Attitude is the better substitute. If we make total of Positive Attitude cumulatively it comes to be 215 whereas the total of Motivation remains 138. That way positive attitude is an encompassing phenomenon.     

I think that motivation that coupled with positive attitude

I consider that the right approach and our ability to absorb the shocks from failures, determine the level of our success and both 'attitude' and 'motivation' play crucial roles in achieving a great success, though in different ways.

Dear sirs, 

I vote for both Motivation + the right attitude.

Motivation needs intelligent analytical atitude to permit the right decisions to move forward, independently from the several undesired turn backs of our steps towards the right paths in life.

But I am certain that we all deserve to get there, in the end, preferably without disturbance of other people's own steps. 

I have confidence that we'll get there somehow, someday! (that's my attitude!)

This welcome debate can go on, dividing us, preferring one over others or judiciously weighing the weight  of the both equally, the influencing ingredients for any success.

As I personally feel both are equally important, I just leave a 'poser' to my RG colleagues to ponder and comment:

A child, when taken as a student, learning things for himself/ herself, from peers/ parents.... what  is (or where is) 'attitude' ? He/ she gets motivated to learn (pick-up) things and does it....'attitude', if we can attach there, could come handy to supplement the process of 'doing', 'what is done', and 'how it is done' [ as referred initially by:Roland I. Morau ]

I believe that without right attitude, skills and motivation don't deliver a great result.

Motivation is the vector, attitude the speed and quality of the thrust.  If we are motivated, we have direction.  Attitude shapes our effort.  In the slang of American English, attitude means brashness.  If attitude is reckless, it can wreck the effort and ultimately threaten motivation.  We somehow need to control and discipline our attitude.  Therefore, in defining character traits for success, I would put energy first as the quid to be motivated. Then I would add discipline to temper the attitude and give it an accurate aim toward its target.

Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. Positive will and thoughts are not enough, there have to be positive feelings and motivation and right actions.

In principle, if someone is described as having attitude, then this indicates that s/he is very confident & wants people to notice her/him. On the other hand, motivation represents the reasons why someone is doing something, or the level of desire to do it. A combination of positive attitude & support  or encouragement can motivate a person to optimize the effort of trying to accomplish the best of results.

Yes, this is true that generally the people with positive attitude are confident, which is very much helpful in achieving anything great.

I agree that determination and dedication to the task could be the keys to achieving one's goal which incorporate both attitude and motivation as well as hard work.

Motivation is the electrical power that activates the engine of success.

Motivation gives the first push, but one also needs to be knowledgeable, persistent and self-disciplined to get to the finish line and accomplish his/her goals.

“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.”– Mahatma Gandhi

Dear Ajay,

Attitude is the manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that reflects a state of mind or disposition. It's the way a person views something or tends to behave towards it, often in an evaluative why.

Motivation is a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way. for example: Escape can be a strong motivation for travel. to escape is an attitude.

So, Our attitude leads to our motivations ... positive attitude is the primary requirement for great achievement.

Attitude and motivation may be interrelated. However in my understanding motivation can be established for good or bad reasons, while attitude is more a matter of (good, high standard) character (that can be also learned). I suppose that all Professors with some experience know that there are generally two ways of learning: the bad way (and more difficult), and the good way (that is easier). I prefer always the good way due to my convictions, but pragmatically the final result (good) can be the same.

To Jeanan: I fully agree and attitude influences motivations........

To; Antonio: I also agree that attitude and motivation has interrelated..

To Kazaros: what a nice philosophy......!

Motivation without attitude is dead.

I think my attitude determines whether I am a positive or negative person and whether I am an optimist or a pessimist.

Attitude is the basic quality which indicates at success.  A person with  positive attitude and thinking, who likes challenges and attempts to convert challenges into opportunities, has half his success achieved.

Though there is little difference in people, yet that little difference may create a big difference.

On this front the little difference is attitude.

And the Big difference is whether it is 'Positive' or 'Negative'.

I think 'attitude' itself may not bring huge success, but its the right attitude (positive attitude) which coupled with the dedication to the task.

This is a thread of many motivated researchers.  @Ajay and all, besides great attitude, and motivation, we need ENERGY, STAMINA and PLEASE LOVE THE JOB!  The result is great achievement.

Yes I agree with dear @Miranda that for great achievement enthusiasm and love for our work are also required, besides positive attitude and motivation.

I think that there is no great achievement without both attitude  and motivation.

Yes dear @Abedallah, the great achievement may require both attitude and motivation.

Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. Success depends on both.

I agree with dear @Mohammad that success depends on both motivation and positive attitude.

Dear Ajay,

You right, "I believe that without right attitude, skills and motivation don't deliver a great result". I must take issue with this statement in the sense that many great works of fiction, art, and eureka moments while people (shall we say) not in the best of attitudes. I am thinking (pardon the reference to) about the morning after a bachelor party, at the office party, chewing on a leaf of... and passionately angry at the boss. 

In these cases it was motivation, namely "dragging" one's own body to work, drinking the necessary coffee to "wake up" and then the magic happens, the light bulb goes off and you suddenly have the answer to the question, the equation, the concept, the nut to the bolt fits just right and then is when your attitude changes.

Hence again I restate my original answer that motivation is the driving force behind all good and great days.

Douglas 

Attitudes and motivation are two factors that have become the subject of a lot of academic discussions. In order to get a conclusive result on attitudinal and motivational role great achievement some other factors should be included too. 

Anyway :

Zig Ziglar once said:

Positive thinking won't let you do anything but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.

Great answer Mohammad. You are a successful man, for sure.

Everyone is blessed with a reservation to do something his abilities are geared towards. It means that everyone at least have a level of personal motivation. One may be motivated by one’s talents and/or, someone’s speech and/or actions exposed to. Motivations are what “determine what to do”. Everyone has attitudes, positive or the reverse, healthy or unhealthy. It tells more about how one will do something he/she is capable of doing or what he/she is motivated to do. Attitude appears in one/s actions, mood and thoughts. One may have a vibrant ability, but one must be motivated to spark to movement. One may have motivations to spark one’s abilities into motion, but one need a healthy attitude in order to do it better in one’s own way.

I think that the willing to achieve a great achievement is the most important factor to reach a  great achievement.

What happen when there is no motivation, is will enough to achieve a goal? "Motivation is one of the most important keys to success. When there is lack of motivation, you either get no results, or only mediocre ones, whereas, when there is motivation, you attain greater and better results and achievements."

http://www.successconsciousness.com/strengthen_motivation.htm

Yes dear Douglas, the right attitude is the key of achieving great success.

Dear Amir, I agree with your views that attitudes and motivation are two factors that ensure the great achievement .

I believe that success mainly depends on our level of self-motivation because it propels us to do things in the desired way. But this is also true that great motivation is essentially associated with right attitude.

Dear Abedallah, I think that mere willingness may not be sufficient to achieve a great success unless it is coupled with a right attitude.

I fully agree with dear Ljubomir that without a strong motivation no great things can be achieved because a strong motivation creates a strong desire to achieve something great.

Dear @Yogesh, I agree that everyone has attitude but why everyone is not a great achiever? Because, I think, it's the positive attitude which makes all difference because in one's actions.

Where Failure Leads, Success Results - Roadmap of Success!Failure and success are not in two different directions.

http://www.mattmcwilliams.com/where-failure-leads-success-results/

Dear Ljubomir, Good road map of success (and failure), I think unsuccessful people essentially have awful GPS systems. For me, they are all have a wrong attitude.

Dear @Ajay, Not at all, willing is, for sure, not enough, but it stimulates everything including motivation and hard working toward a great achievement.

I think positive attitude, a strong self-motivation, and our ability to overcome from the shocks of failures are the determining factors for achieving great success in any field.

Industrial Application

• Job enlargement can be used  to make work more interesting for employees, by increasing the number and variety of activities performed.
• Job enrichment can used to make work more interesting and increase pay by adding higher level responsibilities to a job and providing more monetary compensation to employees for accepting the responsibility.

From employees perception, Enlargement is carried out expecting that in future something more in terms of remuneration is due.

Some more resources on Understanding Employee Motivation and Research for motivating employees are given! "...The trick for employers is to figure out how to inspire employee motivation at work. To create a work environment in which an employee is motivated about work, involves both intrinsically satisfying and extrinsically encouraging factors. Employee motivation is the combination of fulfilling the employee's needs and expectations from work and the workplace factors that enable employee motivation - or not. These variables make motivating employees challenging...."

http://www.joe.org/joe/1998june/rb3.php

http://www.academia.edu/6958531/Research_for_motivating_employees

                 Ability, Motivation, and Attitude

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." --- Lou Holtz

You will not be successful if you have only one or two. You must have all three working together. Consider them like the three legs of a "stool of success."

http://www.boxingscene.com/motivation/6711.php

Do You agree with this "equation"?

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/566890671816463804/

Yes, I fully agree that the 'Success' depends on both the 'attitude' and 'capability'.

The question was about achieving the 'great achievement' and nothing 'great' can be achieved by fake.....

Dear @George, the 'politicians' are a different creature and we can't define them at I can't and I strongly believe that most (if not all) of the world's problems are only created by them for fulfilling their vested interest.

The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to live up to one's opportunities and make the most of one's resources.

--- Luc de Clapiers

I think that level of dedication to completing the task could be the keys to achieving one's goal which incorporate both attitude and motivation as well as hard work.

Positive or negative attitude could further influence the person’s intentions to engage in various behaviors with regard to that particular object.

Yes @Subhash one's attitude matters most and in many cases it determines the final destination.

Motivation is a good attitude

Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.

--- Lou Holtz

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. -Zig Ziglar

It is not only about attitude and motivation regarding success, the great achievements. 

Why Successful People Embrace Failure!?

"If we wish to fulfil our potential as individuals and organisations, we must redefine failure. At the level of the brain, the individual, the organisation and the system, failure is a means – sometimes the only means – of learning, progressing and becoming more creative. This is a hallmark of science, where errors point to how theories can be reformed..."

http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-successful-people-embrace-failure-matthew-syed

Ljubomir,

Like always curiously correct.

Yes fully agree with dear @Ljubomir, that failure is a means and even sometimes the only means of learning, progressing and becoming more creative, which ultimately leads to great success.