Reeco Hackett admitted that it was not the most convincing performance Pompey have produced this season.
So it was certainly a most welcome outcome to still depart snowy Accrington on the back of a 3-1 victory.
Both sides were reduced to 10 men, with Lukas Jensen’s early dismissal followed by a later red card for Joe Pigott.
It was Hackett who doubled the visitors’ lead with a powerful finish from the edge of the box after Pigott had broken the deadlock, while Colby Bishop was also on target before a late Stanley consolation.
The forward said: “It was a very tough game and the performance was probably below par, although the important thing is we’ve come away with three points.
“But I think that it tells you a lot about a side when you don’t play particularly well and still get the win.
"It wasn’t a particularly nice game to be involved in, but those are the ones where you have to dig in and that’s what we did."
“You don’t expect a side to go down to 10 men and still put on a full press, so that threw us off a little bit and we couldn’t find a rhythm.
“We defended our box well, though, to make sure we led at half-time, then got some control after the break.
“I was really pleased to score after coming back in the team and wanted to make an impact, even if it wasn’t my best performance.
“We had the short free-kick and everyone funnelled into the six-yard box, so I just hung back and it sat nicely for me to finish.
“It wasn’t a particularly nice game to be involved in, but those are the ones where you have to dig in and that’s what we did.
“We’ll continue to take each match as it comes because you never know what can happen if you go on a run. We’ll stay positive and optimistic.”