Work is defined as effort or activity to achieve a purpose or earn income. Hard work can be physically or mentally difficult. Or it can indicate volume or duration. Hard work nowadays is commonly synonymous with either dedication or physically demanding work.
Ironically hard work is to be admired or derided depending on your point of view. But the most admired achievements are the result of hard work. At the same time we admire hard work, most of us avoid it.
Another irony is that once hard work is practiced regularly and diligently the perceived difficulty can become reduced. Can hard work become easy? Maybe with mastery we can make it look effortless. But don’t be fooled, hard work is hard.