Weight alone did not make the Hurricane slow. It was an overall issue with the total design. Big, thick, wings, heavy parts, draggy bumps, etc...
The pilot armor has NOTHING to do with which plane was best. It's effectively the same in both planes.
That's like saying the tires are why a Fw190 was so fast in 1942..

There's no real debate... Why was the spit better? Because it was deemed to be by the pilots and manufacturers. Make 2 different designs, both capable, and somehow one will be better than the other. Usually performance was the key. Higher, faster, quicker, etc.
IronDog: The 109Es were limited by strict close-formation, and the bombers formed up inland way way behind the fighters. Fighters had to stage, circling waiting for the bombers, stay close to them (rather than a more economical fast-cruise to target and back) while they zig-zagged over France and into the Channel to keep the RAF guessing as to their flight path, and the limitation over target was mostly a political dictation on how the war should be fought, rather than how it needed to be fought. It was handed down from above, and the officers could only obey their orders. In a straight-line to London and back, they would have had a lot more time. That said, as early as the 109E-7 a drop tank was equippable, and the problem eased (but the target no longer on the table!)