There's this thing called Laminar flow that allows stuff like non-skid to be okay within limits.

As for whether it was the pilot or the aircraft -- why yes, it was. The pilot recognized the situation for what it was and dealt with denial in a heartbeat. He and the co-pilot knew they couldn't make it to an airport so the decision to put it in the Hudson was made early, when they still had enough altitude to set up a good approach. They just set the aircraft up for a controlled ditch and did a superb job picking where on the Hudson. The flight crew kept their heads and made good decisions. The other side of the coin is that the aircraft did its job and protected the occupants; it stayed intact and floated long enough.