I'll say, if reading is such a chore for you, you could probably get away with reading smartly and selectively. How much you write, how much "good taste" you have, and how effectively you self-edit (improvement per time spent) will be more important to being successful than how much you read.
But yes, you really do need to read. That's not really a question.
But yes, you really do need to read. That's not really a question.