There is NO substitute for practice, but better equipment does make a big difference.
If equipment didn't matter we would all be playing $100 trumpets and poor quality mouthpieces. Elite athletes would not bother using state of the art equipment. Surgeons would shun technology and perform operations with same instruments they used 100 years ago. The truth is that technology can - and does - improve performance in many fields of human endeavour. Why would a brass mouthpiece be any different?
The basic design of most brass mouthpieces has not changed in decades. Why would anyone believe that brass mouthpieces were perfected 40 or 50 years ago? I don’t accept that as true, and I have spent the last 10 years developing better and better versions the Wedge. Basically, there is no such thing as perfection, only excellence, and to believe in perfection only leads to stagnation.
Having better gear does not mean you practice less. In fact, if you get better results and have improved comfort and endurance, allowing you can practice more, most players will do that. So why not get a better a mouthpiece AND practice more?