I would agree it can but does not mean it will for most of us.
I understand you are a former swimmer. Guys like myself are completely different animals without any kind of natural empathy with movement in the water.
I have the privilege to coach a former olympian swimmer (she was the national 200m FLY record holder for quite a long time- 
and now she has the masters national record). When she swims with us old mortals, the differences are astonishing in almost everything (not only speed) except sharing the same waters.
She recognizes that what works for her does not work for us most of the time.
Getting back to stroke rate and its optimization, I then again think these guys in the Swimsmooth system are nailing it (that was how I got to the 75spm in my case):
And do not despair my fellow TR users. 
This is the kind of ramp test that will put a smile on your face… unlike some others that we know too well…