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They practice.  A lot.

What he said.

Don't forget the old-school guys like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.

I actually got to see Buddy Rich in concert one time... his big band was doing an outdoor concert at the local mall I used to live by in Illinois. My friend and I were just driving around one evening and saw a big crowd seated around the north entrance. We parked and my jaw just about hit the floor when I realized who it was.    I totally went into fanboy mode and the security guards had to keep chasing me off because I kept creeping down the "aisles" to get up close to the stage.

I'm not sure what year it was, but it was sometime in the mid-80's. Rich was already an old man  and had suffered at least 2 or 3 heart attacks by that time. He was absolutely amazing. I couldn't believe how fast he was, how intricate his rhythms were and how intense he was. The man was just incredible.

One of my favorite songs from him is called "Buddy's Blues." It was recorded in 1955 and is included on the Compact Jazz CD of Gene Krupa & Buddy Rich. (Verve Records, 835 314-2) This song has several small drum solos throughout it, with one fantastic solo at the end. The fun part is that any Led Zeppelin fans out there will recognize bits of the final solo, as John Bonham (another personal drum hero of mine) used parts of it in his live version of Moby Dick. (John Bonham was a HUGE Buddy Rich fan)

Yep, there is definitely a "gift" aspect to it as well. That doesn't mean that drummers who practice a lot can't be great drummers, but there will always be some that are truly gifted. Just as in any other instrument, sport, acting, cooking, job, etc., there are some that take it to entirely different level. If you were to ask them, they'd probably say it was simply practice and study... but there is definitely something else there. An intrinsic understanding, a sixth sense, whatever you want to call it...