Do I need to fix this sentence?

It might sound stylistically better without an 'and', with 'the sheer force behind their success' in apposition to 'an original trailblazer'. However, in my opinion, there isn't the sense of explanation that this sort of apposition requires. The final noun/determiner phrase is a connected thought (hence fine used in the same sentence) but a separate thought. I'd have to include the 'and'.

Compare

• He is a scholar and a gentleman.

Contrast

• Los Angeles – a large city, a city of almost four million people – has had severe traffic problems in the past.

The 'and' is required where the two NPs are connected rather loosely ('but' would be required for a true contrast). A comma is used for an appositive that is a restatement, an expansion, an explanation or a closish synonym. Though in some cases even with some of these, 'and' may be chosen for emphasis.