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"It’s on me. So we’re going to make sure it doesn't happen again" said Sen. Marco Rubio. | AP Photo Rubio: I did well in 7.95 out of 8 debates

Marco Rubio offered another explanation for his much-mocked, robotic repetition of the line "Barack Obama knows exactly what he's doing" at last Saturday's debate.

"I wanted to avoid fights with other Republicans. The question was about the record," the Florida senator told reporters Wednesday on board his campaign plane flying from New Hampshire to South Carolina. "I just pivoted to my message because I didn't want to be involved in a scrum."

Rubio then sought to put his debate performance into context.

"We’ve had how many—8 debates? In 7.95 of those debates I did very well. I had a bad incident at the beginning of this debate. And it clouded everything else we talked about," he said. "It’s on me. So we’re going to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Rubio gave a similar account to supporters and in television interviews earlier in the day, declaring that he would be the nominee but adding that "it is just going to take a little longer" to win the nomination. The Florida senator finished a bruising fifth in the New Hampshire primary after the debate debacle.

Addressing Jeb Bush, Rubio remarked that "the party needs to turn the page — the country and the party.” Saying that he understands the new economy better, he claimed that he has "more experience in foreign policy and national security than he does. I just do."

Nick Gass contributed to this report.