Foxall and Dick lapped the planet in 92 days. Photo: Th.Martinez /Sea&Co! /Barcelona World Race

The pair, onboard Paprec-Virbac 2, crossed the finish line back in Barcelona at 2049 GMT on Monday after a 92-day non-stop lap of the planet.

"This was our whole life, and all our energy and we are obviously very emotional," said Dick.

Briton Alex Thomson and Australian navigator Andrew Cape on Hugo Boss are expected to finish second on Wednesday.

Nine Open 60 monohulls set off from Barcelona on Spain's Mediterranean coast on 11 November but four since retired.

Foxall, 38, and Dick, 42, led for most of the race and survived close encounters with icebergs in the Southern Ocean before suffering a potentially disastrous broken forestay - the wire that holds up the mast - shortly after rounding Cape Horn.

Racing together on a boat for three months, non-stop, under extreme pressure is an amazing test of any partnership Dame Ellen MacArthur

The pair, who were also hampered when they hit a submerged object near New Zealand, made onboard repairs to maintain their lead back up through the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean.

"If I were to stop sailing now, and I'm not saying I will, I have done everything," said Foxall, who has now completed seven circumnavigations.

"We lost the forestay in the Atlantic and there were times when we didn't think we would make it but here we are. This is incredible."

Dick and Foxall were welcomed by family and friends along with the Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu.

British sailing legend Dame Ellen MacArthur also paid tribute to the pair's achievement.

"Racing together on a boat for three months, non-stop, under extreme pressure is an amazing test of any partnership," said MacArthur.

"There are very few circumstances in sport like it and it is obvious that Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall have formed an incredibly strong team and have been able to fight hard right to the end of this long race.

"Every boat competing in the Barcelona World Race has experienced difficult conditions - icebergs, the torture of no wind to storm-force conditions.

"It's a credit to the shore team who have prepared the boat so well and the skippers who then dealt with any breakages on board themselves - including an inner forestay failure off the Brazilian coast a few weeks ago that could have ended their race."