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Leinster recovered from 7-0 and 20-19 down to record a deserved 32-23 victory characterised by commitment, composure and underlying coolness under pressure.
And Schmidt, who is in his first season in Dublin having left his position as assistant coach at Clermont Auvergne in the summer, was delighted with his new side's attitude in what he admitted was a hugely difficult match up in Dublin.
"You do need a bit of luck in this competition but I think there was more heart and soul rather than luck in that performance," said Schmidt.
"Toulouse are the yardstick in Europe as four times champions and they showed that.
"We didn't make it easy for ourselves by giving them a seven-point lead. We had to work very hard to get any points on the board ourselves.
"In the first 15 minutes we looked a little bit shell shocked and overawed. We offered them 10 points and that really made it difficult for us. We are normally better than that and we usually pick up things like what happened with the (Florian) Fritz try.
"We haven't lost at home all year, though, and we talked about that at half-time. We knew we were going to have to dig really deep, especially with Brian (O'Driscoll) in the sin bin."
Schmidt and his players admitted the quality of Saturday's performance wasn't perfect, but that matters little now.
A win meant everything to the entire Leinster population and Schmidt was more than satisfied to be looking ahead to what should be a truly momentous occasion when they face Northampton Saints at the Millennium Stadium on May 21.
"The result is all that matters. We are in the final and can book the flights to Cardiff," added Schmidt.
"In a sense, it was one of those days when you think maybe we could have done a little better. But we're through, that's the thing.
"We have now beaten three of the best teams in France in Clermont Auvergne, Racing Metro and Toulouse and two top English sides in Saracens and Leicester. Now there is a massive desire to go one step further.
"The over-riding sentiment in the dressing room wasn't one of celebration because we haven't won anything yet. But it was massively important to win this one. I am just really happy to be going to Cardiff."
