Don't think EU pushed hard at all. They've basically stuck to their rules all along, from day one, extremely transparent. Why on Earth the UK could possibly imagine they could leave the Common Market and not have a hard border between Eire and Northern Ireland is a mystery.
Even more mysterious is why now there's a deal on the table, the British people can't be allowed to vote on that? How can this be "against democracy"? When the UK voted the last time, nobody had any clue what "leaving the EU" actually meant, now they do and could make a more informed decision. Some idiots even believed, based on a bus slogan, that the NHS would receive £350million per week extra as a result. Many people voted LEACE just based on that, but it has since been exposed as a complete falsehood.
I think Theresa May has shown herself to be very resilient, which is admirable, but she's also shown herself to be stubborn and incapable of compromise, which is a tragedy.