Define “super affiliate”. Define “lotsa links”.
From our point of view – we do very nicely thank you – and we have never bought a link.
So I’d say that BUYING links is NOT required, but it may offer a short cut to extending your reach of visitors.
In the end though, no matter how many wyeballs you have looknig at your site, being an effective affiliate (super or otherwise) is about writing good converting content.