Less lines doesn't automatically mean a CPU does less. I can write a one liner in ruby that will munch through a thread. But in general you're correct imo

My comment though was more that performance isn't about just CPU time. Development time is another performance metric, as is maintenance, overly complicated abstractions can yield big brain points but rarely anything else

If you solve only the problem you have with less code (why, some sort of example driven development may be of service here) then you're on the road to better everything