Skipper Mark Richards has labelled his boat's third-straight Sydney to Hobart lines honours victory as 'very special'.
The time was almost 3 hours outside Wild Oats' own 2005 race record of 1:18:40:10, but some 12 hours quicker than last year's passage.
The win secured Wild Oats a place in the rich history of the event alongside the 65-foot cutter Morna, which achieved a hat-trick in 1946-48.
British maxi City Index Leopard finished second, just 27 minutes 23 seconds behind Wild Oats after remaining within 20 nautical miles of the leader for virtually the entire race.
It was a significant achievement for owner Bob Oatley and skipper Richards, considering their rushed preparation.
The victory came 4 months after the team suffered a demoralising blow, when the boat lost its mast while competing in the Maxi Yacht Cup in Italy.
A new mast was fitted earlier this month and Wild Oats quickly resumed its winning ways, taking out the Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour.
Asked if this year's win was bigger than the previous two, Richards said: "Any win is a great win, but this is very special and I'm happy to be here in one piece.
"It is an amazing feeling and a historic result it's sensational, we'll see if we'll have another go at it in the next year."
A big round of applause for Wild Oats XI...
