Are Good Qualities Proportional to Our Efforts?
From MN 117, we read that Right Effort (samma vayamo) must go in the right direction:


  "One tries to abandon wrong view &amp; to enter into right view: This is
  one's right effort...
  
  "One tries to abandon wrong resolve &amp; to enter into right resolve:
  This is one's right effort...
  
  "One tries to abandon wrong speech &amp; to enter into right speech: This
  is one's right effort...
  
  "One tries to abandon wrong action &amp; to enter into right action: This
  is one's right effort...
  
  "One tries to abandon wrong livelihood &amp; to enter into right
  livelihood: This is one's right effort."


Not just the right direction, but also the right amount of effort - not too much and not too little.

From AN 6.55 (a vina is an indian stringed musical instrument):


  "And what do you think: when the strings of your vina were too taut,
  was your vina in tune &amp; playable?"
  
  "No, lord."
  
  "And what do you think: when the strings of your vina were too loose,
  was your vina in tune &amp; playable?"
  
  "No, lord."
  
  "And what do you think: when the strings of your vina were neither too
  taut nor too loose, but tuned to be right on pitch, was your vina in
  tune &amp; playable?"
  
  "Yes, lord."
  
  "In the same way, Sona, over-aroused persistence leads to
  restlessness, overly slack persistence leads to laziness. Thus you
  should determine the right pitch for your persistence, attune the
  pitch of the [five] faculties [to that], and there pick up your
  theme."