Absolutism is a tough religion to adhere to. But I’d suggest it can happen. See Ray Charles covering Don Gibson. His version of “I Can’t Stop Loving You” only 4 years removed from the original beats the original. I think a big part is how honest the cover is - nowadays too many songs are covered for novelty and whereas it’s mildly entertaining for a bit or can breathe life into bleh songs, truly better is hard.
There are tons of examples where covers top the originals. Can't talk to OPs example but covers, in general, can certainly add a nice footnote to the original or, in some cases, outright eclipse them.