Hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut has earned his third mustard belt, after setting a world record by inhaling 68 frankfurters in 10 minutes at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island on Saturday.

For the third year in a row, Chestnut defeated six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi, who set his own personal record of 64 hot dogs.

Patrick Bertoletti came in third place with only 54 hot dogs.

"It feels great. It's what I came here to do," said Chestnut. "And the crowd was supporting me, and I was happy I was able to come through for everybody."

Last year, Chestnut won by downing 64 dogs, five of them in a first-ever "eat off" between himself and Kobayashi.

Kobayashi is renowned for doubling the record from 25 to 50 hot dogs in 2000, and reigned supreme at the annual July 4th contest before tasting defeat to Chestnut in 2007.

Hundreds of fans waited at Coney Island for hours beforehand to cheer on the two world chewing champions.

The winner ate around 19,000 calories, according to ESPN.

The Nathan's Famous hot dog company has held the annual competition since 1916, when the first contest winner ate only 13 hot dogs.

This year's contest came a day after a unique event at Coney Island, when three elephants defeated three humans in a six-minute hot dog bun-eating contest.

Bunny, Susie and Minnie, who are also performing with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in Coney Island, ate 505 buns, compared to the humans' 143.