Ten-man Boro dug deep to hold on to the lead they had built against Nottingham Forest and send their fans home from the Riverside with smiles on their faces.
"I think the supporters who came along will have seen a team who were giving it everything," said Mowbray. "I always talk about the importance of getting a second goal and tonight it paid dividends for us.
"We've played some good football since our last league win on Boxing Day but some people keep bashing us over the head with that statistic. These are the fine margins in this league. Sometimes to turn it around you have to grind it out like we did tonight."
Boro were cruising thanks to Marvin Emnes and Lukas Jutkiewicz goals either side of half-time. But Forest pulled one back and the sending off of Kevin Thomson for two yellow cards made for a nervy end to the game.
"It was another difficult night for the officials, who made it difficult for themselves again," said Mowbray. "I've just watched the tackles back and if that's a sending off the game's going to rack and ruin.
"The first booking he's trying to flick it with his toe, the second one he's trying to block a cross and I don't think there's any contact whatsoever.
"It's sad to lose Kevin again, a player who's working his socks off to try to get back up to speed. I hope our supporters could see the quality he possesses, the way he controlled the game in the first half.
"But what matters is we got three points - and let's hope Nicky Bailey is somewhere near for Millwall on Tuesday night, when Kevin is missing."
The positives for Mowbray included Jutkiewicz's first league goal for the club and another hugely impressive cameo from teenage striker Curtis Main.
"I'm sure Lukas will score lots of goals like he did tonight and we await that towering header as well," the manager said.
"I thought Curtis Main was fantastic when he came on to relieve some of the pressure."
Asked whether Stephen McManus's exit on loan to Bristol City will increase the funds available to him to bring in a loan signing, Mowbray said it helped but that Main's arrival on the scene had given him breathing space.
"We're just edging a bit closer and yet we do have people coming back and Curtis Main came on and made a difference," he said.
"He showed huge strength and energy and that eases my burden because Curtis Main is stepping up to the plate."
