After a lengthy and arduous vote counting, Hillary Clinton was finally declared the winner of the Iowa caucus over her closest rival, Bernie Sanders.

It was a tough and close race, which the former secretary of the state barely managed to win. As reported by Business Insider, Clinton beat Sanders 50 percent to 49.5 percent of the delegate votes, in what at one time, appeared to be a repeat of her 2008 defeat. The race was so close that it has to be settled with a coin toss.

But this time, she finally managed to be vindicated as she was officially declared by NBC News as the winner of the caucus by 2:37 a.m. eastern time, last Tuesday of Feb. 2.

According to many political experts, the Democratic Iowa results were the closest in history, as both candidates managed to go the distance. More than 170,000 Iowa citizens participated in the caucuses, with Hillary claiming 23 delegates, as opposed to Sanders with 21.

And despite churning out an underwhelming victory, Clinton was all smiles and was satisfied with the outcome. During a rally in Nashua she said, "I am so thrilled that I am coming to New Hampshire after winning Iowa, I can tell you, I've won there and I've lost there. And it's a lot better to win!"

In a similar report by USA Today, Sanders was also satisfied of the results despite the loss. In his speech, the Vermont senator said that he applauded the people of Iowa for taking on "the most powerful political organization of the county."

Sanders said that despite being considered as a fringe candidate during the early days of the campaign, he and his team managed to go toe-to-toe with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

He said on a rowdy crowd that the people of Iowa also sent a "very profound message" that it can no longer take establishment politics and establishment economics.

With the Iowa caucuses over, Sanders is currently now in New Hampshire. According to the recent polls, New Hampshire is more favorable to Sanders than Clinton, as the self-proclaimed socialist-democrat has a double digit lead over the former first lady.

Despite New Hampshire predicted going to Sanders, Clinton can take solace of the fact that as of press time, she records a significant lead over the senator in the state of South Carolina. Additionally, she also has an advantage on Sanders over minority voters.

The New Hampshire primaries will be on Feb. 9.