The difference is the explicit mention that neither group is superior. Splitting people up by how "smart" they are (how can you even begin to measure that?) is entirely uninteresting. Think of it more like a division between "Type A" and "Type B" personalities.
It's not about smarts or superiority, it's just a way of classifying motivation.
When did you say that neither group is superior? You said that "hackers" don't have to be more skilled, but every other part of your post implies that you think they're superior as human beings.
I say that hackers don't have to be more skilled (superior - in my personal definition of the term).
I also state that I believe they more often than not are more skilled (which I recognize and appropriately tag as my own opinion, not a fundamental part of the concept)
It's not about smarts or superiority, it's just a way of classifying motivation.