[RightWingNilla]

Individuals struggle, but it is not usually informative to label evolution a struggle.

Good point js.

I was trying to rephrase it such a way that is less anthropomorphic, but I guess it wasn't clear.

The sequences simply are. They self-replicate. The ones which are more efficient at this eventually dominate the population.

[Doctor Stochastic]

"Fittest" is an output, not an input.

Evolutionary Observation 1: Offspring differ from parents.
Evolutionary Observation 2: Scion quantity varies.

Observation 1 happens due to mutations (and recombinations.) This was Darwin's big point. Lamarck had it differently.

Observation 2 happens due to either either "better equipment" or just luck.