In war, the moral is to the physical as three to one, said Napoleon, and the Libyan rebels demonstrated the truth of that. Muammar Gaddafi had more soldiers, they were better trained and armed, and did not lack courage. But the rebels believed that they would win, and once Gaddafi's troops also became infected with that belief their resistance collapsed.
However, Napoleon also said that God is on the side with the best artillery, and the rebels had nothing bigger than light anti-aircraft guns. Their real artillery was the Nato air forces that conducted a five-month bombing campaign on their behalf.
Even though there are technically no foreign "boots on the ground" in Libya, this heavy reliance on foreign military support makes the rebels forces beholden to the West in the eyes of some Libyans and many other Arabs. So they are, but as the leaders of the revolution try to make the tricky transition from dictatorship and civil war to an open and democratic country, the influence of the foreigners may prove useful.
Consider the tasks that the revolutionaries now face. First, the rebel leaders must prevent their victorious troops from taking revenge on the regime's erstwhile supporters. The last thing they need is a bloodbath in Tripoli or anywhere else.
Then they must choose some thousands of today's ragtag fighters to serve as a conventional force and disband the rest of the militia forces that sprang up to fight Gaddafi's army. A lot of their fighters are going to feel cheated, and they still have guns.