Yes, you were more rested. 
This is a good approach.
I’ve done the “kill-yourself-in-the-gym” routine, with powerlifting right at the start followed by grueling body-building style afterwards. 2 hours a day, 6 days a week. For years.
Results were amazing of course, but as optimized as my workouts were, resting proved to be more and more important as time went on.
And then I switched to 30-35 minute workouts 5 times a week, giving me much more time to focus on SC, with a mad optimized workout plan and more rest.
Result - I gained more strength and look even better than before.
So my advice boils down to - don’t be afraid of going slower or letting go of your workout ego. This will help you to destress and to focus more on optimizing your workouts, each set and each rep. Of course, as long as you are doing everything correctly and not out of a desire to “prove it”, don’t be afraid of upping the weight. You still have to progressively overload.
Also, increasing in reps is considered progressive overload, so you are doing good. And yes, it will be better for you and your health to increase the reps first and then increase the weight.