I mean it's not the norm for a search and rescue operation to be required, so in a way, yes, your career has been one exception after another.
Ah, the chicken and egg scenario. The tasks were, indeed, exceptions. The musculature requirement to maintain the aircraft in the required postion at the required height for the required amount of time was cetrainly not. I found within the co-pilots I flew with that the ability to do those things existed in many pilots with far less 'experience' than I. Experience doesn't grant one a licence to cope with anything. Perhaps better is an intimate understanding of the equipment you fly and an instinctive ability to realise when it's going wrong. Those qualities are often the ones sought during interview and application.
As stated before I have flown with very well trained Co-Pilots who, despite their low hours in a log book, have often out performed colleagues and peers in the other seat. It often depends upon the level of training provided and the commitment of the individual receiving that training. Experience per se is extremely useful but, if the prepartation to fly is good, not always necessary.