Consistent E.T's

I always hear how automatic transmissions give a guy a chance at more consistent elapsed times: truth or fiction? Back in the mid 1970's, while power shifting a 1965 Valiant with Mopar 4 speed, I was surprised at Fremont Raceway one Sunday with a "bonus check" (I believe it was a whole ten dollars, still have the check stub in a box somewhere). I had made two consecutive passes with the exact same E.T. (i.e. 12.95 followed by a second 12.95) and there was a special payout for such an "accomplishment" or "lucky day", as one would have it. Never repeated those duplicate runs, but got me thinking that, with practice, one could almost keep up with the automatics.