San Francisco

Oracle Team USA, the resilient crew of sailors who capped an epic comeback Wednesday to win the America's Cup, had spent hundreds of hours at sea over the past three years preparing to win this 162-year-old yacht race.

But in the end, the victory came down to one of the oldest methods of rescue in team sports: calling a timeout to make adjustments.

The defending America's Cup champion Oracle team, which is financed by billionaire Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, struggled early in the final, falling behind Emirates Team New Zealand 8 races to 1. Then, something clicked. The Oracle boat began to dominate, erasing deficits on San Francisco Bay with ease and accelerating to win by sometimes yawning margins. It finished the comeback Wednesday to take the first-to-nine-wins series, 9-8.

The Kiwis, who were funded by the New Zealand government and a mishmash of corporate sponsors, suddenly looked hapless. By any reasonable standard, the eight straight wins Oracle reeled off to win the Cup rank among the most impressive comebacks in the history of sports. "These guys just showed so much heart," said Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill.