In general, there might be a misperception of the way the war played out.

The colonists did not defeat the British militarily in the war. It was not a battlefield victory. The colonists basically outlasted the British.

The main advantages the colonists held were:

1. Foreign aid. Several rivals of the UK took the opportunity provided by the amount of distraction the Revolutionary War provided to settle scores. France, Spain, and Netherlands actively engaged against the British Empire in far-flung areas around the world while also providing sufficient military aid to the colonial armies to allow them to remain in the field.

2. A stalemate in terms of military campaigns. There was never any sort of decisive blow that occurred in the war. The Continental Congress was able to relocate from any location with minimal effort, so seizing the capitol cities had no real impact on the overall government. Same applied even at the individual colony levels. The Continental armies were able to maintain a field presence in the war. Except for a few specific cases, the Continental Armies were able to withdraw from a battle after a loss without being destroyed. Large British armies could suffer a massive defeat, then have the losses replaced.

3. The southern strategy of the Continental army under Greene effectively restricted British movements. Greene lost every major engagement in the southern campaign. But, any smaller British detachment than the whole of the British army could be overwhelmed. So, the British army could not effectively maintain itself in the field by requisitioning supplies from the surrounding areas. A forage party would be wiped out before gathering any supplies.

The smallest deployable unit for the British in the south was its entire army massed together. That limited itself to being only able to control its immediate surroundings.

4. Logistics. While the British navy had a large impact and was a considerable force that could resupply the British held ports easily, the logistics train broke down immediately as the British army entered areas further away from their main supply line. The British army did not have a dedicated supply train at the time. They hired civilian contractors. The roads were terrible, for the most part. Movements were slow and easily monitored. The Continental Army had the same disadvantages, but that lent itself to maintaining the stalemate - which was a strategic win for the Continental army.

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Essentially, it boils down to 3 points. A war like this would have required the British to 1) project sufficient force into the colonies to assert their control 2) maintain that control over long periods of time and 3) the will to do so.

The British came closest in 1776 to meeting the first condition. They never managed the second condition anywhere during the war, except at specific ports. The third condition was a failure due to the lack of any progress and redirection of British resources to fight off the foreign powers that were of a more immediate and critical threat to Britain's interests.

Sources: Logistics of Liberty by James A Huston

A Country Made by War - Geoffrey Perret