Steroids - Could you get "there" without them??

Do you need them...or with hard work and diet....could you get to the same place albeit by longer route???

Depends on what you mean by getting there.

If you mean developing a strong and decent physique then of course, its perfectly possible without drugs.
However, if you want something a little more special than its almost impossible.
For most men, the most one can achieve naturally would be akin to a swimmer type of physique.

A truly natural bodybuilder (who's around 5'10ft) will be on stage at around 175-180lbs. I'm not convinced by the argument that over a decade of hard work and discipline will develop something above that. After all, muscle growth isnt linear. Most natural individuals will build almost all their lean mass in the first 3-5 years of training. After that period, they will hit their genetic ceiling and even putting on a pound of extra lean muscle becomes incredibly difficult. Training becomes more a case of mantaining rather than building.

Personally, no. Happy with what I have got and have toyed with the idea if steroids but always opted not to.

Have used them to good effect in my early twenties, but now I don't see the reason at all.
Years ago it helped me build a good physique in quick time, this helped on a Friday/Saturday night. Nowadays there is no incentive like that and also you realise that one day you will get old, and have to consider the implications on your future health.
Training hard can get you in brilliant shape, but for that masculine superhero look steriods play a massive part.