Investor Cathie Wood delivered top returns in the first half of the year. Her flagship Ark Innovation ETF soared more than 40%, outperforming the S&P 500. The benchmark only gained about 15% in that time period. With that performance, Wood, once again, confirmed her status as a superstar investor.

Now here's the best part of the story. You could follow Wood's lead -- and possibly generate top returns too. Wood sticks by a couple of key rules no matter what the market is doing. And these particular points are what drive her gains. Ready to crush the market like Wood? Let's find out how to do it.

Go against the crowd

So, here's the first point. Wood isn't afraid to go against the crowd. She favors certain types of companies and stands behind her beliefs -- even if the market punishes her in the short term. For example, last year, Ark Innovation sank 66%. That's because investors fled the types of stocks heavily weighted in Wood's biggest fund.

In difficult economies, many investors prefer stocks seen as safe, such as healthcare players or companies that pay dividends. And they avoid high-growth stocks, often seen as riskier. Wood's top holdings in Ark Innovation include electric vehicle giant Tesla (TSLA -1.11%) and cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global. And that's not all. Technology and biotech companies also are part of the fund.

All of these players have one big thing in common. They're innovators. Wood bets heavily on today's biggest innovators, with the idea that they may be tomorrow's biggest winners in their industries. This year, investors, feeling more optimistic about a potential bull market ahead, are giving these types of stocks a second look.

But Wood doesn't jump in and out of investments according to what the market is doing at a given moment. Her strategy is to invest in companies producing game-changing products or services. They are high-growth or have high-growth potential. For example, Tesla last year brought in record revenue and net income. In spite of those solid earnings, Tesla stock sank 65% last year -- but Wood held on. And Wood says the stock could climb to $2,000 by 2027.

Does this mean you have to buy tech stocks and innovators to follow in Wood's footsteps? Not exactly. Instead, it means that, like Wood, you shouldn't be afraid of going against the crowd. If you believe in a certain stock's long-term prospects, don't worry about what others are doing or saying. Wood didn't give up on her top picks last year when they plummeted. And, now, her tenacity is paying off.

Invest for the long term

Here's the second point. Cathie Wood doesn't worry about short-term movements for one big reason: She invests for the long term. And so should you. The idea is to buy a stock with the idea of holding onto it for at least five years. But you could hang on much longer.

Why is this so important? For a couple of reasons. First, it allows you to travel through difficult market times with less worry. You know that if your favorite stock falls for a period of months or a year, that's OK. Over the time you hold the stock, those declines won't have much impact on your overall return.

Second, holding on for the long term gives the company time to grow earnings -- and the stock price time to perform. Of course, your stocks may rise in the short term. And you could sell and make a profit. But if you're choosing the right players, you're likely to gain even more by holding on for a period of years.

All of this means that, to have a shot at crushing the market like Wood, you have to remember two things: Stick by companies you believe in, even if the market doesn't like them at the moment. And invest for the long term.

If you apply this to your strategy and choose quality stocks, you may follow in the footsteps of Wood and other famous investors over the long haul.