Rated in line but why not above?

Hey guys, Just finished my first year and turned A2 about a month ago. I was rated in line and had my compensation discussion today. I am beyond happy with the raise I received but hearing that people who were rated well above and above got higher raises made me feel like I could’ve gotten more. Indeed, I do believe that I did have a strong performance but I do admit that I had not tried to be a high performer (because I heard they get taken advantage of). At the same time I feel like some are ranked high performer just because they get along with other well? Is the pay gap between above and in line big?