What does "the rat race is over and the rats won" mean

Does anybody know?

"A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit. It conjures up the image of the futile efforts of a lab rat trying to escape whilst running around a maze or in a wheel. In an analogy to the modern city, many rats in a single maze run around making a lots of noise bumping into each other, but ultimately achieve nothing (meaningful) either collectively or individually."

I'd assume that it's being used literally, as in a real race for something--and that the 'bad side' (the rats) won.