Righteousness is sometimes forced by G-d

Or HaChaim (Bereishis (15:06) Another way of looking at Abraham's act of faith is based on the tradition that the world will not lack a minimum of 30 (or 36) righteous men by whose merit it continues to exist. Since G-d wants these 30 tzadikim, it stands to reason that He does influence these men to be pious. If so, they can certainly not claim their righteousness as their own merit as would otherwise be the case. Abraham may have been rewarded then for not making an issue of this, although some or all of these men may have been unduly influenced to live the lives of tzadikim.