Enable dug deep into her reserves of brilliance to fight off Crystal Ocean and become only the third dual winner of the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes.
Sent off the 8-15 favourite for the Ascot showpiece, the John Gosden-trained mare - who was first successful in the 2017 renewal - found herself trapped wider than ideal through the early stages under Frankie Dettori, as Norway cut out the running.
After Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck became the first of the big guns to drop away, Crystal Ocean and Enable swung into the straight full of running - with Dettori calling on Enable for her effort at the two-furlong marker.
Crystal Ocean and James Doyle refused to buckle, though, and the prize looked very much up for grabs before Enable and Dettori got the last word for a neck success, in a finish that had definite echoes of the epic Grundy-Bustino battle of 1975.
Waldgeist was third for France, another length and a quarter away.
Gosden said: “She’s everything you ever want. The draw rather affected her, she was suddenly very wide, so Frankie dropped back further than he wanted.
“She’s a brave and wonderful filly, and what a great battle with Crystal Ocean.
“It’s what you wanted to see.”
He went on: “I think she possibly carried him (Dettori) into the race a little too easily, and I thought he’d hit the front a long way out, but he felt he had to go then.
“Crystal Ocean showed all the courage in the world, and the first two are wonderful - they put up a great King George.
“Frankie was slightly hands and heels and waving it (whip) at her, he didn’t really throw everything at her at all. He just felt he wanted her to do it slightly within herself.
“It was a great race, it’s what it’s all about.”
All roads for the Khalid Abdullah-owned winner - who was emulating Dahlia and Swain in winning a second King George - lead to a Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hat-trick bid in October, and Gosden will give further consideration to how she gets there.