My knowledge pales in comparison to Lomcevak's but the main ingredient that kept the Buccaneer relevant for so long was the guile and cunning of the crews and the legendary support and miracle working provided by the groundcrew.
The list of basic things the Bucc didn't have were inconvenient but when the aircraft was dressed for ops the stores limitations hit home. If you were happy to have little or no chaff then you could go without a chaff pod, otherwise you lost a pylon. Add an ECM pod and you lost another of your 4. Just a single sidewinder took another. Leaving you with one pylon and fuel in the bay and/or door. Hang a Pave Spike off this last pylon gave you zero offensive weapons, not even a gun.
Mixed loads in a 4-ship got you so far and in gulf war 1 some creative fits with ALE40 chaff/flare, ECM, Sidewinder, pod and a single asymmetric slipper tank looked odd, but did the business. When the air threat subsided the crews went without the Sidewinder and therefore could carry a single LGB and self-designate.
I would offer that it was the crews, both air and ground, and the character of the Buccaneer that made it all special. Same for the Tornado - when I look back at my time on the GR version I only ever think of the people I was with, but the aircraft was a flexible and dependable part of that mix.