The truth is, that electricity is neither lazy nor smart. To be either lazy or smart, one must first have the ability to make a decision. Electricity, in and of itself, is not a being that is capable of independant thought, and is thus, neither lazy nor smart.

To say that "electricity tends to follow the path of least resistance" is to give you a mental model, a "rule of thumb".

Electricity travels by electrons flowing through a conductor. Voltage can be thought of as a "pressure", in fact its very similar as it is the "difference" between two sides of the circuit.

Think of it in terms of water. Different conductors have different resistances. The lower the resistance, the less "pressure" is needed to move the electricity through it at a certain rate, it would correspond with a larger "pipe" in plumbing terms.

If you put two pipes next to eachother and connected their ends, then you run water through them, more water will flow through whatever pipe is larger. Its not because water is lazy, there is just more space to flow, so it flows that way.