Yes, if you are having reliability problems its mostly a question of work (to increase hand eye skill or to follow procedure better)
this could mean, using a fiberglass brush to scrape, cleaning with alcohol, calibrating the iron, cleaning the iron, fluxing, wetting the iron, wetting the iron with a water sponge for real, improving time, replacing a tip, etc.
I would say the most imporant thing is to use the most agressive flux and to clean. I was very surpized by what kind of boost I got from using 'task wipes' (i.e. kimwipes). Putting the extra money on an alcohol dispenser, isopropyl, flux pen and a box of mini wipes will improve your soldering work much more then throwing money at insane levels of luxury flux dispersal melting pipe networks). it feels a little wasteful to buy kimwipes but its actually easy to clean with them an alcohol. I get surprising cleaning power from kimwipes + iso, similar to using the very expensive flux-off product.. I think paper towels are some how NOT the ticket here. It just works.
I have NO IDEA, I was getting piss poor performance from alcohol and lunch napkins, so bad that infact I thought it was a fools game, and I was ready to do something like buy a case of flux off.. but I got the dispenser and box of wipes after watching a youtube video on proper soldering that really seemed like they would not give you mis information and I was surprised.. its like getting good polishing foam for your car.