Dutiaume was unhappy that his side took until the third period to hit top form as the Fifers recovered from 5-1 down to earn a draw in the opening match of the SNL League season.
"I was disappointed with our preparation and work ethic leading up to the game," he told SportsPress. "We were missing a couple of key players and for certain guys the opportunity was there to step up to the plate but they didn't grab it as I would have liked.
"A few words were said in the dressing room and they came out in the third period and played like they should have in the first two.
"The managed to pull a tie out of the game but if we worked for longer than a 15 minute spell we probably would have won.
"There was a little bit of complacency and a lack of desire on our players part.
"When you're winning all the time it can be hard to keep that up but in the near future these guys are going to want to take their game up to the next level.
"They have to prove that they deserve to be here when that time comes or they will find that they will end up looking in from the outside.
Dutiaume suggested that a change of personnel for the visit of Aberdeen on Saturday could be the outcome from his dissatisfaction at the performance at Murrayfield.
"If a guy is willing to work harder than a more talented player who produces one magical moment per game then disappears then I'll choose the hard worker," he said. "They have to realise that playing for Fife Flyers isn't a right, it's a privilege.
"No disrespect to a team like Ayr who have taken a step up to a better league than they have played in before but for our guys its not as challenging a match as we would like.
"But that doesn't allow anyone to take a night off because when we do get a game against Whitley Bay or Edinburgh they have to raise their game.
"To an educated hockey eye it's becoming clear which guys are not capable of doing that."
Dutiaume's stern words come on the eve of a SNL League match against newly-formed Aberdeen.
The north east outfit were thrashed 23-0 by Dundee last week and Flyers could win by a similar scoreline, but Dutiaume wants his players to give 100 per cent.
"It would be insulting to Aberdeen if we gave any less," he said. "It's patronising and not good for the game. "We're going to have an altered line-up because of what happened last week and playing Aberdeen gives us a chance to bring in a few more youngsters.
"I don't expect a guy to go out and pump in 10 goals on Saturday but I will expect him to play the defensive and break out systems that we have worked on."
Flyers complete their weekend with a trip to Irvine to face North Ayr Bruins on Sunday.