Can rank without backlinks?

[limbo]

No, you cannot rank without backlinks. You can attempt to rank without doing any link building and if your content is good enough, you may be able to acquire backlinks naturally from readers who enjoyed your content and recommended them to others.  However, even in those cases, you're still relying on backlinks to rank your website - the only difference is that you're not actively building them.

Absolutely correct.

And getting links naturally works. But it may take years to get their. So, its not a practical strategy.