Trixi was a "big girl"--even a tad overweight (I read an article that Ice Capades made her lose something like 25 pounds when she went on tour after winning the Olympics). She may have worked hard on her free skating, just to get it to the level that she did. Trixi wanted to win gold and knew her figures were the only way she could get it.
Toller Cranston mentioned that, despite her insurmountable lead in each competition, Trixi was actually underscored in figures... she was that good.
The media hype was all about Janet vs. Trixi, but Janet was never 2nd to her. Even if you take Trixi out of the picture, Janet would still have been beaten regularly by Karen Magnussen.