An error by Saints' goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga gifted City a share of the spoils as Robert Snodgrass' free-kick sneaked under him following Rickie Lambert's scrappy opener.
Hughton's side are now unbeaten in their last seven games and he feels his players are showing plenty of fight and character at the moment, which puts them in good stead with 16 points from 14 games ahead of a busy December.
"The players are doing something right," Hughton told Sky Sports. "When you look at the latter part of the game and we're still attacking, still pushing forward trying to get the win, it shows the character.
"I've got a squad, particularly a bench, that is desperate to play. We have real competition for places and, at the moment, that is the key.
"Points in this division are very tough to get. At the moment, we are getting them.
"We've kept the run going. The performance warranted the result. I saw them play on Sunday and they played very, very well against Newcastle. They've got a lot of very good footballers in the team and you have to defend very well against them."
Hughton was keen not to discuss the reaction of skipper Grant Holt, who walked down the tunnel immediately after being substituted in the second half.
"It's not about the captain - it's about a group of players that I've got that are totally committed," he said.
"I certainly don't want to see players that are happy not to play and are happy to be brought off.
"My responsibility is to look after the squad and try and get the best out of them. If that means players showing a little bit of passion and desire, then I can certainly settle for that."
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