Nope. jQuery 2 just removed code for IE 6/7/8. Nothing was added. Code sized reduced, but almost the same performance. My benchmark shows only 10-15% improvement. That's nothing compared to using the DOM API straight up.
Hmm, I'm wary of a test that involves another framework to test the underlying jQ v. Native DOM performance difference. I'd be much more comfortable eliminating Backbone from the equation.
Also, this is just one test - wyuenho's claim was for jQ vs. the DOM in general, which is a much broader claim than an unknown subset of functionality.
I don't doubt that native DOM methods are faster than jQ, but I like claims to be backed up by evidence.
See my previous comment[0]. That perf test is testing Backbone's use of jQ vs. native DOM, not jQ v. DOM in isolation. I don't trust that there aren't side effects and interactions in the test.