haha man... if Goku didn't know kaoiken... Vegeta would have ended Goku's life journey right then and there like the low level warrior that he is. Then Frieza would have made the saiyans extinct lol..
There are so many good stories in the DBZ saga, like it's not always the guy who starts out leading that finishes first (as we can see here). Vegeta obviously more talented at this stage with more power. Goku only managed to defeat him with Kaoiken. But, Goku learned this technique thanks to going out (well, being sent) out of his comfort zone by traveling to another planet.
Then, there is that thing Goku said about low class warriors becoming better than elite if they desperately wanted to. Goku has always had better opportunities than Vegeta, but it wasn't that it was unfairly given to him either, it was his openness to let others help him that did it, whereas Vegeta (until DBS) wouldn't let anyone train him or teach him. His ego, pride would anchor him where as Goku was able to escape that usual type of thinking.
It doesn't end there though, Goku time and time again would surpass Vegeta by fighting for more than himself in Namek, recognizing that training isn't the same as torture (in the hyperbolic time chamber), and dying for the planet, and thereby getting a chance to fight against Pikon and other world fighters to help him go ssj3, whereas Vegeta had to fight for less stakes, his own selfish self, and as powerful as he is, and eventhough he fought for the sheer thrill of the hunt, for the sheer pleasure of it, and as hard as his work ethic was, he couldn't surpass the natural talent that Goku would grow into, while Vegeta's elite talent started to show weakness and plateau'd with age.
Then, we learn that, from Vegeta's own words that at first he thought it was Goku's selflessness and fighting for his family that made him so strong, but that when he (Vegeta) had a family of his own, his power didn't increase much at all. He recognized what was really holding him back, his anger.. and here's the truly special thing we learn--Vegeta himself wasn't responsible for growing up angry, he lost his father, he had to see Frieza control him by blackmail, and then watched his own father die by Frieza's hands, and then his whole home planet. It's kind of a slow moving twist, but a powerful twist that shows it was Vegeta who had a tougher upbringing, more so than another saiyan sent off in a spaceship away from his parents. This suffering he endured, and living with an 'anchor' of sorts, to his fighting skill, this weakness is something many people in real life grow up with, something they have no control of. Something so relatable to so many people. Vegeta showed the world just how special 2nd place really is.