One of the key challenges for plasma theory and simulation in view of ITER is to enhance the understanding and predictive capability concerning high-performance discharges. This involves, in particular, questions about high-β operation, ion temperature profile stiffness, and the physics of transport barriers. The goal of this contribution is to shed light on these issues by means of physically comprehensive ab initio simulations with the global gyrokinetic code GENE, applied to discharges in TCV, ASDEX Upgrade, and JET - with direct relevance to ITER.