I think he had much of luck and courage too, but I think technically it is possible. If you consider that major part of the lift force built on the 1st third of the wing, and the rest is "only" there to separate air layers. That point is near the engine location on large airliners.
The photos showed (but not the computer video) that a quite large piece still remained from the wing. It is possible that small amount was enough to keep the Eagle in the air at slower speeds.
