He might just have earned himself a Palin endorsement, on guts. That would be priceless going into South Carolina and Florida.
The only answer he could have done better was the one about running as Romney’s running mate. He should have said that HE would consider a lot of candidates for his running mate, not vice versa.
Note that he did not attack any of his opponents or the slimy O’Donnell, just the emperor and his shills.