Is owning a rabbit hard work?
My answer to that is always, what's your definition of "hard work?"
To me, owning a rabbit is no different than owning any other companion animal. It takes some initial work to do the research and get them all set up, but once they're settled into your home and you establish a routine, they just fold into your life.
When my mom first got Annie, she had NEVER owned a rabbit. I'm pretty sure it had been decades since she had a pet she called her own. All of the critters leading up to her adopting the OG Quiet One were either mine or my sister's pets, so our responsibility.
She didn't know anything about rabbit cages, the kind of foods they could eat, or that they're crepuscular animals. She just knew she loved this furry mystery and she was willing to learn how to give her the best life possible.
And that's the majority of "the work" if you ask me. Making sure you're prepared, committed, and willing to learn are the first steps. Everything after that is an added bonus.
If you've been considering getting a rabbit as a pet, prepare yourself beforehand. They aren't stuffed toys you can leave in a cage and interact with when you're bored; they're social little personalities who require the same level of effort as any other pet. If that doesn't sound like hard work to you, then they just might be what you're looking for.