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Jorge Lorenzo said he was lucky Marc Marquez's Honda currently has a power deficit to Yamaha after winning in a photo-finish in MotoGP's Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.

Marquez overtook Lorenzo on the final lap following a lengthy pursuit, and appeared to have victory secured as his rival's first retaliatory move failed.

Then Lorenzo got a better exit from the last corner and was able to sweep ahead by 0.019 seconds as they crossed the line.

Lorenzo said he had nearly given up on the win but was inspired by his last-lap pass on Alex de Angelis for second at the Biondetti S-bend in the 2005 250cc race.

"When I arrived into the last chicane the memories of 2005 when I overtook de Angelis in 250cc passed through my mind and I had this crazy idea to make the same move," he said.

"I said 'OK, why not try'. So I opened the throttle a lot. I entered so fast, maybe too fast because Marquez again overtook me.

"I thought I was losing the race because normally in MotoGP it's not possible to pass the rider in front by lifting, but we were lucky that our rival today was Marc with his Honda and the Honda this year struggled with the engine.

"I recovered a lot of metres and I won this unexpected victory.

"When Marc overtook me I thought 'he's a great fighter and closes the door very well, maybe it's better to finish the race in second place, take the points and see next time'.

"But I had this memory and I tried, and I was lucky my engine today was fast."

Both works Yamahas were struck by engine failures on Sunday - Lorenzo's in the warm-up and team-mate Valentino Rossi's when pushing the Spaniard for victory in the race.

"One lap less in the warm-up and we wouldn't break in the warm-up but in the race," Lorenzo said.

"We've been very lucky. Rossi had the opposite and was unlucky and he's now quite far off in the championship.

"It's not a coincidence that two engines are broken in three or four hours. Something is happening.

"I don't know if it was the same on my engine and the engine of Rossi."

He admitted Rossi had a good chance of beating him had both finished.

"[Team manager] Wilco [Zeelenberg] told me that on TV it looked like he stayed quite comfortable on my wheel so today he could've fought for the victory," Lorenzo said of Rossi.

"He's been very unlucky. Now the difference in the points is huge."

Had Marquez won, he would have drawn level with Lorenzo at the head of the championship.

Instead the Yamaha rider has a 10-point margin that he said provides "confidence and quietness".

Rossi is 37 points behind Lorenzo in third.