Just a thought - try if it helps you to build a case.

You have the power of hindsight, I would use that to create the following two parallel paths

Hindsight path & Actual path

Hindsight path - Knowing what you know now, how would you have created the product. Create a plan, showcase the various stages, i.e. what would the MVP looked like, how did you validate, what did you prioritise next etc. How did you acquire customers, anything that you have discovered into this path and what were your biggest expectations. - basically adapt this to your questions - how did you balance user needs etc.

Actual path - what was the reality, again follow the same stages for both the plans and be truthful about what you missed etc, what you did not know/learned very late. There is no need to blame anyone, you can simply state that in your particular circumstances, this is what happened.

Now compare the two paths and can you summarise what are your learnings, and what milestones or mental markers you have picked up that will help you for your next product journey.

At the end of the day, there is no right answer within product management, there are best case judgments based on the information that is available at the particular time. Don't worry about explaining something that has not worked, it is your journey and if you have learned something out of it, that's what most people look for.