It might seem like an easy situation when nobody's demanding you do a good job, on the contrary, as was in this case you did a good job and got fired because of that.
But if you agree to their rules then you must play by their rules, politics, and if you then don't put your best effort into playing politics you may find yourself on the losing side soon.
The paychecks can of course be prolonged indefinitely, if you agree to play their game with their rules. And depending on your situation of course it is useful to prolong the paychecks. I'm not saying quit, but consider that there is a cost also associated with staying which is that you can not do your best but have to spend time and energy to learn to "play the game by their rules".
But if you agree to their rules then you must play by their rules, politics, and if you then don't put your best effort into playing politics you may find yourself on the losing side soon.