I don't think so, but if you commit to something, you should stick with it. I find that what holds me back on higher difficulties is not using all of the resources I have available to me (not in-game resources but ways to control the game, like spies, city state alliances, trade agreements etc) on higher difficulties it becomes more important to focus on all aspects of the game to capitalize on your assets. It's also important to make sure your science is up, because otherwise you lag behind. Getting your universities is important, so education shouldn't be the last thing you research, etc. War is also really important on higher difficulties- the AI has advantages on all fronts but intelligence, so you have to out-think them. Paying two civs to go to war can prevent them from declaring on you, and also stunt their growth as they throw resources into a futile war (don't start a war between mismatched AIs, it will only make one of them stronger) and then you can further yourself by taking out the weakest AIs to get boosts. Higher level games seem to require at least one or two wars to put you on a level playing field with the AI.