Leicester use of technology to keep their squad fit and tactically informed was also key in maintaining form and consistency of selection. Appoint the right manager, scout good players and get ahead with technology.
It is curious to contemplate how Claudio Ranieri came to be at Leicester City. It was him appealing to them for a chance last summer, not the other way round.
Ranieri can name his price now but back then, like anybody looking for work, he filed his c.v. and hoped for the best.
Despite more than two decades spent managing some of Europe's elite teams, he was aware how a spell in charge of Greece - four games ending in defeat by the Faroe Islands - had bruised his reputation.
Indeed, Sportsmail can reveal that so low was his stock within football that two Championship clubs rejected the opportunity to hire him. Ranieri had not been too proud to take up a role in England's second tier, but two teams declined his services, perhaps surmising that, at the age of 63, his race was run.
Leicester thought differently and credit must be given to Jon Rudkin, the club's director of football, who was tasked with vetting prospective replacements for Nigel Pearson to owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Not that Greece made it on to Ranieri's resume. That entry was left off in the kind of cosmetic surgery we all use from time to time.
Ranieri was sacked by Greece in November 2014 with Hellenic Football Federation president Giorgos Sarris claiming he had been 'the most unfortunate choice of coach'.
But Rudkin looked beyond that to a long and distinguished career. He scrutinised the calibre of club and the quality of player Ranieri had managed. Juventus, Roma, Valencia. Batistuta, Totti, Del Piero.
A meeting in London was arranged between Ranieri, Rudkin, chief executive Susan Whelan, football operations director Andrew Neville and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner's son and Leicester vice- chairman. Ranieri's mix of humour, geniality and knowledge impressed. There was a second meeting so Vichai could see the same and the deal was sealed.
Ranieri had offers from France and Italy but confided to his agent Steve Kutner during lunch in a Monte Carlo restaurant that he wanted to return to England 11 years after leaving.
In a small but significant way, Steve Bould played a role too. Arsenal's assistant manager knows Rudkin from coaching circles. They were opposition managers in an Under 18 match in September 2009. Leicester, featuring future Ranieri favourite JeffSchlupp, beat Arsenal 4-2.
So when Kutner needed a number for Rudkin, Bould obliged. Had he known then what would happen it is tempting to think Arsene Wenger's No 2 may have misplaced the digits. As it was, he greased the wheels on a locomotive that has led us to a destination nobody could have predicted.
The seeds of this incredible success were sown before Ranieri took over, of course. He inherited a squad possessing quality, hunger and togetherness, fostered by Pearson's leadership and shrewd scouting organised by head of recruitment Steve Walsh.
Leicester have been buying smartly for years and last summer made a crucial acquisition that paints a vignette of the watertight process, used time and again, that limits risk and increases potential for finds.
N'Golo Kante has been one of the players of the season and the method for securing his services from Caen was meticulous, starting in February 2015 when Pearson identified the need to replace Esteban Cambiasso should the Argentine move on.
Leicester's statistical scouts analysed key metrics of midfielders in Europe's top five leagues - interceptions, tackles and forward passes per 90 minutes - and some big names featured. Xabi Alonso, Toni Kroos and Lassana Diarra.
Leicester focused on realistic targets. A Brazilian called Allan, who moved from Udinese to Napoli last summer, was considered, but Kante stood out because when background checks were made, his name appeared on a club report already filed.
A Leicester scout had been to see Caen in the months prior to this search and Kante was picked out.
Combined with positive video analysis using clips from Wyscout, the company that films huge numbers of games across Europe, and the discovery that Kante had never suffered a significant injury, the evidence was aligning.
Next was to send Walsh, who likes to see all incoming players in the flesh, and David Mills, Leicester's chief scout, to watch Kante in Ligue 1. Safe to say, they were impressed. The only drawback was Kante's height, just 5ft 5in, but Pearson sanctioned the signing last June. Then he got sacked.
A new manager often means plans change, but Walsh was retained and Kante's name remained in the foreground. Ranieri too had his doubts about Kante's stature but was won round by Walsh's dossier.
Marseille were in for Kante too and he was seriously interested in staying in France, but Marseille could not produce the money Caen wanted and Leicester edged ahead, sealing the deal in August with more than a little charm at their base on Belvoir Drive. When Kante arrived, the message among staff members involved in the deal was clear: 'We do not let him leave until he has signed.'
As Kante's agent spoke finances with Rudkin, the man himself was in Ranieri's office being told how much the club wanted him. Ranieri was particularly animated, speaking French to explain the important role Kante would play in his side.
Kante's £5.6million transfer was done the day Leicester went to Birmingham for a pre-season friendly. While low-key, it proved a key match in shaping this side.
On a sunny day at St Andrew's, a tracksuited Ranieri began with the 3-4-1-2 system Pearson had used to climb to safety, with Riyad Mahrez in the No 10 role, they were 2-0 down at half-time. He switched to 4-4-2 at the break, shifting Mahrez to the wing where he has remained, and witnessed a comeback win that hinted at a good season to come. Jamie Vardy was given freedom up front, racing around at a speed that has not dipped.
Demarai Gray scored a superb goal for the hosts that afternoon, convincing the club to make a move but the teenager decided against it, telling colleagues he did not wish to be involved in a relegation fight. That was the logical call back then. His talent deserved a top-four club. When Leicester came back in January, they were just that, and now Gray is a Premier League champion.
Ranieri's approach was significant, keeping Pearson's long-time assistants Walsh and Craig Shakespeare. He imbued humour quickly, getting some players' names mixed up to inadvertently create comedy.
He also insisted on Wes Morgan's immediate return to the side following the Jamaican's hectic summer of two international tournaments. He had no pre-season but was in the team for the opening-day victory against Sunderland - Ranieri wanted his captain.
Morgan, who sets the music in the dressing room, has played every league minute since, managed astutely by Leicester's fitness team. Rest days have been important and Leicester's injury record is remarkable, only Schlupp sustaining a lengthy muscle problem this season.
That is also partly thanks to the cryotherapy chamber installed at Belvoir Drive, set at -79C to heal weary limbs and keep players fresh week after week.
Minimal gains are a focus too, with tactical instructions issued on iPads as players receive massage rubs to ensure no seconds are wasted.
Ranieri's target-setting has kept minds on an even keel, as has retaining a core of players together for the last four years. The spine of Kasper Schmeichel, Morgan, Danny Drinkwater and Vardy governs itself.
They happily go along with the blessings delivered by Buddhist monks - a ritual involving faith sticks and holy water - and markings have been placed on the sign above the tunnel heading out to the pitch at the King Power. A cleaner believed they were there accidentally and thought about removing them until told of their significance.
Ranieri was also slightly confused after the final whistle on the first day. 'What is that helicopter doing on my pitch?' he is said to have enquired. 'It belongs to the owner,' came the reply. 'Oh, that's OK then.'
The chairman always flies away from games. His team have flown higher than ever thought possible.