A lot of boards are engine boards these days. The trick isn't just about playing the engine, but also playing it correctly and also delaying greening, otherwise, the engine can fall apart, and a money strategy can beat it. With that said, money boards still exist. My advice though, is to try and go for the engine, and if you lose to a money strategy try and figure out why.
Anyway, you asked if the money player played badly. I mean, it's very possible to make mistakes with money. Usually, for instance, you want to avoid getting Duchies if you are going against the engine. Your goal is to empty out the Provinces. Misplays do happen in money, but it is also easier to make mistakes with engines. They require more components, and many decisions with engines are made at many points throughout the game. Money decks in general require less decision making, though, this is not always 100% the case.
With that said, engines are really good. They can do more things. Money usually is just able to buy a Province and that's it. Also, if alt. vp is on the board, that's usually a strong sign you want to consider the engine, but there are many more factors than that. My advice watch videos from top players and read the blog articles. Also, if you are playing base only, you should really check out Burning Skull's videos.