Deserved is a stretch. Remember it’s an average position, not a definitive position. Google no longer looks at results from a defined #1 position, but a flow of position based on personal search results of a user. If you are a NICHE, you will almost always rank highly until the competition starts to come into the market.
Also, remember just because you get a page added to the index, it does not mean it is somehow is a “deserved” position. Backlinking to the page is ultimately what determines the authority of the page on the given subject (as long as the backlinks carry some sort of authority in a related topic as well). Internal linking can also help boost a new page but sacrifices some of its “authority” if the internal page is ranking for similar keywords.