Long Island resident is Lord of the Sand Castles after winning Coney Island contest for third time

"I pretty much pushed the sand to the limit of what it can handle," said the 53-year-old construction worker.

Russo floored judges with his 6-foot-high, multi-ridge castle.

It was his third year in a row winning the adult category.

"It's a three-peat," he said. "There was a lot of pressure."

The master sculptor planned on using the $400 prize to take his wife out for their 29th wedding anniversary.