Frodo's choice to spare Gollum was pivotal to getting to Mordor, so I'd say Gollum "played a part" more than he actively helped. He was a slave to the ring. In the end, Frodo would never have destroyed the ring — no one could have. Even Gollum's fall wasn't his own fault — Eru Ilúvatar intervened.
I like the interpretation that Frodo spares Gollum because he wants to see Gollum redeemed to prove to himself that he too can get redemption from the ring's influence.
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