@kehaulani-0 Yes, the placebo effect - the difference between a killer and average chorus. Only something in our head was different between the two performances. When we are at the top of our game, there are a lot of influences. Practice is not the only parameter.
Trumpetb
When we are practicing and performing at a high level, changing the firmness in which we insert the mouthpiece causes "big" differences. I let my students change mine and tell me what sounds different, then I do it to them. We do not know when we are experimenting what the other person did. So, repeatedly in the same lesson we try this out, have similar experiences - and that over time. Sounds like a pretty sure thing to me.