Benitez went into the game with the local media claiming his job was on the line -- but Ronaldo's two goals and a late clincher from Lucas Vazquez was enough to see off an unlucky La Real side.
Ronaldo first missed and then scored two very debatable first-half penalties, with the pressure from an increasingly unhappy Bernabeu crowd mounting when visiting winger Bruma curled in a superb equaliser early in the second half.
Real grew in confidence and pressed for another goal, but the Portuguese put his side back in control by knocking in a superb second with 67 minutes played, meaning he has scored 25 times in all competitions so far this season, and is finishing 2015 with 57 goals in 57 club and country games.
The Blancos coach said in his postmatch news conference that the character and personality showed by Ronaldo to put the penalty miss behind had showed his leadership qualities and the team as a whole had responded well to difficult moments in the game.
"I congratulated [Ronaldo], and all the team, they were united on the pitch, when it was important to show character and personality," Benitez said.
"Despite missing the penalty, he stepped up again, put his team on his back, and the game turned around. The reaction from the team was very good, now we must continue on this line."
With the proceedings very even at 0-0, referee Jose Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez twice awarded Madrid soft penalties, the first for a negligible push on Karim Benzema, the second when Gareth Bale's cross hit visiting full-back Yuri's outstretched leg before deflecting up off his arm.
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