Prayer is very powerful and important. There are certain battles we can't win unless we pray. But as much as prayer is important, we should not forget the place of action. We are told in the Bible that faith without works is dead. Praying and believing is good. But if that is all we do we may never achieve the desired results.
We are also told in the Bible that there is time for everything. There's a time to pray, and there is also a time to act. If we pray and truly believe in God to grant us our desires, it will prompt us to make intentional moves towards actualizing our desires. Prayers does not restrict is from taking actions.
Things do not happen accidentally or by magic. The law of science says that nothing moves unless an external force acts on it. This can be also applicable spiritually. For something to happen, be it a change or there about, we need to act towards it. We shouldn't conclude that God has refused to answer our prayers if we have not done what is expected of us.