In short term, hand by hand basis, luck factor plays a major role in winning and losing, but a more skillful player would be able to win more than anyone else when he is ahead, and get away cheaper when he is behind. If you have a big enough bankroll for the limit that you are playing, you should be able to level off all the luck factor, aka variance, then skills becomes the major factor to separate the man from all the boys.
Yes, you can play poker professionally