NEW YORK — Joey Chestnut sat outside the Nathan’s Hot Dog building on Coney Island hoping to find the slightest bit of shade to compose himself. He'd just decimated the field by consuming 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes, 19 more than the runner-up and a world record in the annual Independence Day contest. Chestnut appeared in total tranquility as the chants of "Joey" came to a halt.

For Chestnut, the entire process leading to the moment where he lifted the championship trophy over his head was worth it. The 34-year-old has accomplished virtually everything thrown his way in his Major League Eating career.

Chestnut holds more than 30 world eating records. He ended a near-decadelong string of dominance by Japan's Takeru Kobayashi and rebounded after his own winning streak ended in 2015. The man dubbed "Jaws" doesn’t see an end to his competitive eating career in sight.

"I’m having fun," Chestnut said. "As long as I'm happy and healthy, and the contest is fun."

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Chestnut was 23 when he unseated Kobayashi as the undisputed champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Now, 11 years later, he has become the veteran with the target on his back.

Leading up to Wednesday’s festivities, Carmen Cincotti, the No. 2-ranked eater in the world, took to social media to exchange barbs with Chestnut. With the amount of accolades Chestnut has earned, the friendly banter is expected.

Neither Cincotti nor Matt Stonie, who snapped Chestnut's Nathan's streak in 2015, were able to best Chestnut in the 2018 installment of the Fourth of July pastime. Cincotti tallied 64 hot dogs while Stonie, despite a strong start, finished short of the top three.

Well @joeyjaws and I were in the unknown abyss for the contest, and he came out of it with a perfect game. Congrats buddy. — Carmen Cincotti 🇺🇸 (@carmencincotti) July 4, 2018

The effects of the sun and humidity got the best of the men and women on stage. The heat index in Brooklyn read 91 degrees, and the conditions "affected everybody," Chestnut said.

Women’s champion Miki Sudo ate 37 hot dogs to win her fifth straight championship, but not after she was forced to pour a bottle of water over her head mid-contest.

Sudo said the water helped kick her "into gear" to finish the contest strong.

Chestnut, however, didn’t feel the weather’s impact like the rest of the field did. The San Jose, Calif., native used the heat as a form of home-field advantage leading into Wednesday afternoon.

“We had a few 100-degree days that I took advantage of, and it helped," Chestnut said as beads of sweat dripped down his face. "You know, stay calm, not let this heat bother me. I'm sweating like a mother right now."

Chestnut faces the bulging expectations of shattering his own records each time he returns to Coney Island, and it'll be no different next year when he'll be 35. He's enjoying the dominance while it lasts.

"I'm happy to be back," he said. "It's kind of scary. I don't know where to go from here, but I'm going to come back and try to keep pushing. Hopefully somebody keeps pushing me."