There is no doubt that unique content and quality niche backlinks are the potential factors to get higher visibility in searches but we also know that the balance between both of them. If you increase the content exponentially in a particular time but the backlinks are performing poorly then your activity going in wrong direction. It will be punished. If you get huge back links but there is no much progress in website content, that also causes to experience bad effect. Maintain an equilibrium and gradual progress between content and back links, then only it not hurt your efforts and progress naturally.