How was the continental army able to win the war for independence from Great Britain?

The Continental Army did defeat the British in the Revolutionary War. That's why we no longer honor the queen.

IMPROVED ANSWER:

The reason Americans were able to defeat the British in the American Revolutionary War, was because of "distance." Fighting on unfamiliar territory, having to ship soldiers, weapons, and ammunition across the ocean, it was just as matter of time before the the British would lose the war.

It was a very hard financial burden for the British to fight the war in America. Also, during battles, men of the Continental Army could hide in wilderness regions, and the British were unable to find them.