if properly maintained, a diesel engine can easily go 300k+ miles. So, if you actually need it, a diesel truck is actually a good value because they will last 2x as long as a gas powered truck and significantly out perform a gas truck on power.
Otherwise, it is purely marketing genius. You can get a base model Ford 150 for under $30k. It does everything a gas powered truck is supposed to do. It can tow your boat. It can haul a load of gravel. The Ford Raptor has a slightly more powerful engine. Otherwise, it is just packed with junk that has nothing to do with functionality. it stickers at @$72k and dealers will often get a $5-10k premium on the price because demand is so high. The Lariat does have a beast of an engine and can go toe to toe with a diesel on power (but will not last as long), but there is no reason to pay $98k for that thing. You pretty much get the same performance out of a XTL with a 5.0 V8 for under $40k.
But people throw down this kind of money on trucks for pretty much the same reason people throw down the same amount of money on high end European vehicles. When you pull up to little league practice in your Raptor, all the other dads ooh and ahh. When you pull up to the fancy tapas restaurant in your BMW M6, the valet parks it up front and everyone oohs and ahhs. It is just status. And status depends on the audience. So, trucks work in some situations but not others. Same for Euro high line vehicles.