The further away you are in strength or skill from your opponent, the harder they are to defeat.

If you have both attributes then you are a very dangerous channeler. Cyndane managed to stand against a much stronger Alivia at the Cleansing using skill alone, and the same can be said of all the Forsaken at the Cleansing. Of course, they are all very strong anyway, but in relation to their opponents i.e. circles and augmented channelers, they were very much weaker.

Rand has managed to overcome several challenges in the series because he's so strong, and the same can be said for the three women. Nynaeve stood head to head with Moghedien due to strength and an 'arm-wrestling match', and Elayne managed to overwhelm far more skilled Black Sisters using her raw power.

Both are attributes you need to measure when judging a character. Neither is of greater worth than the other.