Flora Duffy is making a habit of winning.

The 27-year-old demonstrated just why she is the Xterra World Champion, holding off American twins Rebeccah and Laurel Wassner to capture a second Queen of Bermuda Triathlon title in overcast conditions yesterday.

She was simply a cut above the rest, leading from start to finish, breaking the tape nearly a minute ahead of second-place Rebeccah, whose sister Laurel rounded out the podium.

Duffy, who claimed the Xterra title in Maui, Hawaii, last month, took early control of the race and never looked back, romping to victory in a time of 55min 50sec.

The emphatic victory, Duffy said, was just as special as her maiden triumph in the event two years ago.

“My season was actually done at Maui,” she said, “but I wanted to do my best here in Bermuda and knew it would be tough.

“The twins definitely pushed me. I’ve raced with them before in the United States and I know they are strong and tend to be pretty fit all the time. I thought I’d just give it my best shot and luckily it worked out and I won.”

That Duffy ran the New York Marathon last weekend made her accomplishment all the more impressive.

“[The New York Marathon] was hard and the most humbling experience of my athletic career,” Duffy said. “My legs have never hurt so much in my life.”

If Duffy’s legs were still hurting yesterday, she certainly did not show it.

The two-times Olympian coped best in the rolling surf to emerge from the 8K swim in first place in 11:29 — nearly a minute ahead of her nearest rival.

“It was really choppy out there,” said Duffy, of her swim. “Actually, the whole thing felt pretty horrible.”

Duffy found herself at a disadvantage on the bike stage but still managed to protect her lead after covering the course in 23:28.

“The bike was tough only because I was on my road bike and they [Wassner twins] were on their time-trial bikes, which is more suited to non drafting,” Duffy explained.

A torrential downpour prior to the start of the race made the 20k bike course hazardous, forcing organisers to shorten it for safety reasons.

“South Shore is so twisty and slick which was the biggest concern,” Duffy said. “I rode here this morning and there was some Monsoon rain and massive puddles that would have been way too dangerous to ride through. I’m glad they shortened it.”

Duffy encountered some discomfort at the beginning of the 5K run but eventually got into her stride to cover the distance in 18:37.

“I felt pretty horrible going into the run but slowly got into it and just enjoyed it,” she said. “I knew I had a decent lead, so I just jogged coming in and had some fun.”

Rebeccah crossed the line 50sec later in 56:45, with her twin sister Laurel finishing in 58:18.

Duffy was not the only member of her family basking in the limelight as her mother, Maria, seized top honours in the 60-64 age group and was eighteenth overall in 1:21.26.

“She did really well and I actually saw her out there on the course,” Flora said. Top honours in the Duathlon went to Zoey Roberts, finishing in 1:06.42. Joanne Medeiros was second in 1:08.43, with Lynn Norman placing third in 1:12.06.