A first-half goal from Brahim Díaz was enough to see off Deportivo La Coruna 1-0 at Riazor on Wednesday, giving Real Madrid the Teresa Herrera Trophy for the tenth time in the club's history and their tenth trophy in the competition, 13 years after their last appearance.
It was Madrid's third pre-season fixture, leaving them unbeaten so far with two wins and a draw heading into the final warm-up match against Schalke 04.
Speaking to Real Madrid TV afterwards, Mourinho stressed how demanding the occasion had been against a side newly promoted back to LaLiga.
"A serious match against a team returning to LaLiga. This trophy carries a lot of tradition and they gave everything. They forced us to play seriously, it was difficult," the head coach said, underlining the value of taking summer silverware seriously.
"We know what a summer trophy is worth. They wanted their cup, and competing in this way is very good training for us."
Mourinho explained that his priority in matches like this remains distributing minutes and continuing to assess his squad rather than focusing purely on the result.
"I have to make my changes and give everyone a chance. I don't want to give so many minutes to the same players," he said.
"This match is there to be won, but it's also there to work and give minutes, to run trials. More than changes of personnel, changes of structure," he added, making clear that game time and tactical experimentation still take priority over results at this stage of preparation.
The Portuguese also used the post-match comments to reflect on what he expects from his side once the season begins in earnest.
"We'll have league matches where you're not able to kill the game off, and when you do kill it off, you win," he said, aware that the team's ability to see out contests will shape how the campaign unfolds. Despite that note of caution, his overall assessment was positive. "A lot of positive things, the team is growing."
Mourinho closed by putting the current stage of pre-season into context, with part of his squad still working separately back at Valdebebas.
"There are five in Valdebebas who aren't here. We're going step by step," he said, referring to players who did not travel to A Coruña for the match.
"It's progressing in everything, the difficulty of the matches keeps increasing, and it's very good to come here with this atmosphere," he concluded, satisfied with a group now entering the final stretch of preparation before the league season begins away at Espanyol on 22 August.