The hosts were 2-0 up at half-time thanks to a fine finish from former Tangerines star Brad Potts and a clever free-kick from Ben Whiteman.
Tom Cannon capped a quick counter-attack with a superb strike six minutes after the break to wrap up the win, but Jerry Yates did score a late close-range consolation.
The result is a significant boost to Preston’s play-off ambitions, but defeat leaves Blackpool second from bottom in the table.
“I believe we’ve got the fight and determination to survive, but it’s whether we’ve got the quality,” said McCarthy.
“We’ve not taken our chances, we’ve conceded another three goals today, and we’re not helping ourselves.
“We are under pressure we know that, and we’re trying our best to stay in the league.
“We’ve got more proper scraps like this to come – that’s the way the Championship is.
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