I think it's fair to say that what Kant did was a piece of the scientific process, but the fact that he was right was indeed a bit lucky. History remembers the correct theories and forgets the ones that didn't pan out, even though they may have all been equally good when they were first invented. It's unfair, but human, to credit the winner when in fact they were all doing more or less the same things. Kant was remarkably right though, so one must entertain the possibility that his extreme intellect helped him to penetrate through the uncertainties. But I've no doubt that equally powerful intellects have been totally forgotten simply for being wrong.