There is a little bit of gaming in SO that makes it hard to compete with others that are more dedicated to the site.
For example, posting a quick answer and then editing it with the answers from others to complete your answer is one I've seen. I don't believe it to be unfair just that it takes effort beyond technical skills to get high rep values in SO. John Skeet aside, he's all technical skills ;p
People rarely upvote crap answers, and all answers are displayed in random order if they have the same score, so being first doesn't really confer any advantage. Quality answers usually float to the top.
Technically, being first is an advantage if you're the first to answer and it's accepted and there's 10+ upvotes. If getting another badge is an "advantage".
For example, posting a quick answer and then editing it with the answers from others to complete your answer is one I've seen. I don't believe it to be unfair just that it takes effort beyond technical skills to get high rep values in SO. John Skeet aside, he's all technical skills ;p