Queensland went into the Super Rugby Pacific clash on Saturday night having conceded 94 points in their last two games, putting them on the brink of the competition's top six.
Having only won once in their last 15 encounters, with their last victory at home coming in the 2011 Super Rugby grand final, the Reds were underdogs.
The Crusaders were also looking to become the first side in Super Rugby history to score 50 or more points in three consecutive games.
Also, Reds' star playmaker Tom Lynagh was ill for the clash where they knew a victory would propel them seven points above the seventh-placed Highlanders.
"There's mental toughness that we see from the team. Fraser (McReight) and the boys were super honest with themselves last week," Kiss said as the Reds suffered a 42-19 thumping against the Force in the last round.
"There was no big crisis or anything. It was just being pragmatic, talking about what we can do to be better.
"We weren't far off on a lot of things, but we had to make sure we made amends tonight.
"It wasn't neat and tidy, but there were some worthy moments, some worthy attitudes and worthy mindsets that stood up when it mattered."
Lynagh is expected to return after Queensland's bye, although another star playmaker Carter Gordon will have to await scans for a possible knee injury after coming off second best in a tackle on Saturday.
One player that Kiss won't have to worry about is Filipo Daugunu after he ran for 120 metres and scored a crucial late try in his 100th competition appearance.
"He is a competitive bug, and what I liked at the end of the game tonight was that he was spent, which meant he invested big time and heavily into that (game)," Kiss said.
"That's not a one-off thing he's done. He keeps putting his hand up in the big, physical moments, and it helps us for sure."
Captain McReight added he feels Daugunu is a star as the 20-cap Wallaby pushes for a starting jersey ahead of next year's World Cup.
"How good is he? He's reserved and quiet as well," McReight said.
"He could also be there without you knowing he's there, which is just pretty special. He goes about his business extremely well."
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