Judging by my motorbike chain experiment, all it takes is that the chain stays both lubed and clean during exploatation. That's what the Scottoiler system provides for the driving chain. It makes sense - chain inside the motor, that drives the pistons and takes care of valve timing, taking all the engine power, is half the thickness, lasting about 8 times longer than the drive chain - but it's in a clean environment (inside the engine) and in a constant oil bath.

For bicycles, the choice is lubed, but dirty chain (wet lubes), or clean, but not very well lubed one (dry lubes). Cleaning the chain on a daily, or even a weekly basis is far from practical (time also costs, for most of people).