Faith or Fate...??

Have been wondering on this for sometime now...and decided to write this post..hoping to get some answers by the end of this scribbling...

Was talking to one of my friends about he doing his MS in the US (his dream and faith)...and all he had to say was...I do not know dude...have done my part in getting a good score in GRE(1430/1600) and days before the interview for his Visa...he said..now I leave it to fate...

Another friend of mine, who was actually worried about providing the best education for her daughter, all she had to say was...'Hope all the hard work pays of and things fall in place' and she was given solace by saying - 'edhu varanamo adhu varum' which translates to 'Wuts destined will happen'...

I mean, it is like trying to toss a coin and get both head and tail, which is actually impossible.. I have been brought up with an ideology which simply put says - 'Hard and Smart work always pays off ' and I have been believing in my faith in what I do than my fate, but it still gives me a confused thought when people say - "You are destined for bigger things in life than saying, You will make it big...!!!..."

Do I trust in my Faith or Fate...??