Pompey have won five of their past six matches in all competitions.
And Kenny Jackett hopes his side can build on their impressive form when they make the trip to high-flying Charlton this weekend.
They won at The Valley as recently as last month, with Curtis Main’s goal securing victory in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Jackett believes old fashioned hard work is a key reason for those results and wants to see more of the same on Saturday.
The Blues boss said: “We’ve got a determined group of players here, with a very good attitude. They want to do well for this club.
“Winning breeds confidence and we’ve had a decent run of results of late, although we haven’t been able to cruise through in any of them.
"The determination and effort I’ve seen has been excellent and that’s pleasing because it can really make a difference."
“They’ve all been hard-earned and we know that those levels of hard work, detail and application have to be maintained.
“The determination and effort I’ve seen has been excellent and that’s pleasing because it can really make a difference. It’s something I value highly.
“Charlton are one of the biggest clubs in the division with a talented squad and they’re pushing for the top spots.
“I’m sure they’ll be optimistic about being one of those three teams who will earn a Championship place.
“It’s going to be a big game and a difficult one as well, but we’ll be working hard to get a positive result from it.
“To go there and do that would be a big achievement for us. We’ll be backed by a lot of our supporters and that’s appreciated by all of us. We want to reward them.”
Top scorer Brett Pitman is set to return against the Addicks, although the quartet of Ben Close, Dion Donohue, Oliver Hawkins and Kal Naismith might miss out.
Jackett said: “I’m optimistic about Brett, while we’ll find out about the others on Friday morning. We’ll give them as much time as we can, but they’re looking doubtful.
“All of them had been working hard to come back for this weekend, though, and I certainly won’t rule anyone out at this stage.”