The best code I've ever seen written were friends who don't code for a living, they code for the love of it, and you can tell they love what they are doing.
Are you sure thats not because there is no concern of a deadlines, time to get things out faster than competition, politics, cross team opinions and competing business goals?
I've met devs who thrive under these conditions too and still produce works of art, but that was my point even so, that people who code out of passion without doing it for work can produce some works of art.
