Hansen said the sending off of midfield back Sonny Bill Williams was something that was decided by the referee and the team had to respect that and go through the process.
Williams, who was shown a red card by referee Jerome Garces for an ugly shoulder charge, becoming the first All Black to be sent off in 50 years, received a four-week ban after facing a judicial hearing last night and will play no part in the third test in Auckland.
A midfielder has been brought into the squad, and Highlanders centre Malakai Fekitoa gets a route back into the black jersey.
The All Black coach was proud of his side's performance on Saturday night, down to 14 men for 55 minutes of the match.
''I thought we were mighty courageous. Did we play well? That's debatable and we could have been smarter than we played,'' he said.
''But we showed a lot of ticker and heart, to hang in there for so long against a quality side and have a chance of still winning the game.''
Hansen said he wanted the side to play smarter and better.
The good thing from a loss was what was learnt and brought into the game the following week.
''When you lose in sport it's painful. So it sharpens the mind and the attitude. You look at things a little bit more than you do when you win.
''We have to go about how we can be better.''
He said the loss on Saturday night differed from the defeat by Ireland in Chicago last year.
''[In Chicago] we may well have been getting too comfortable. We became tourists rather than a team on tour. Last night was totally different. It wasn't an attitude problem.
''What we have got to learn out of last night was how to play a little smarter in those situations, when we are down to 14 ... what we will do is look at the tape and see where we can make improvements.
''Sometimes we all brush over the cracks. When you lose, the cracks get exposed.
Lions flanker Sean O'Brien was also cited yesterday after a hit on winger Waisake Naholo in the second half.
He was to face the judiciary last night after Williams.
Hansen said Naholo was fine yesterday and had passed the concussion test on Saturday night but it was decided to keep him off the field.
The All Blacks flew to Auckland yesterday to begin the preparations for the series decider.
It will be All Black skipper Kieran Read's 100th test on Saturday night but Hansen said it was just a number.
''I don't think it is going to be a distraction. It is just a fact. Him being the guy he is, we will treat it like his first game or the second.
''The big prize is making sure we prepare well and give ourselves the opportunity to win the series.''