Business Insider notes that although Ron Paul finished third in the Iowa caucuses, he may end up being a winner anyway.
"That's because Paul's massive organizational push in Iowa focused on both winning votes, and also on making sure that Paul supporters stuck around after the vote to make sure they were selected as county delegates -- the first step towards being elected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention."
Iowa's Republican caucuses are non-binding, so once delegates are selected they are free to vote for whichever presidential candidate they choose.