Well, I think all the skaters skated their hearts out, and she didn't have the most technical program. Mao did. Mao had the most technically difficult program in all of figure skating history, and she pulled it off. And she scored lower than Adelina, and by the way, Mao is a better skater than Adelina. Did you know that?
It doesn't matter because Mao's SP was a splatfest. She was crushed by the pressure, and Adelina wasn't and looked like she was having the time of her life in the process.
Also, it's easier to do Multiple UR Triples than Multiple fully rotated triples, especially with the speed and amplitude Sotnikova employs.