Brent Webb jumps highest to get to the ball ahead of Stuart Fielden
Super League leaders Leeds withstood some fierce Wigan pressure to book their place in the last four of the Challenge Cup.
The Rhinos took the lead in the fifth minute of the game through Matt Diskin, with Rob Burrow adding another try.
Wigan hit back through Mark Calderwood before the break, before Brent Webb extended the Leeds lead.
Thomas Leuluai gave Wigan some hope but Scott Donald's late try and a Kevin Sinfield drop goal sealed the win.
Although Pat Richards drew first blood with a penalty for Wigan, Leeds were soon in front with Diskin slipping under a tackle by Andy Coley to twist over the line and Sinfield added the extras.
Leeds looked like they would go on to dominate with their quick plays as they aimed to get revenge for a fifth-round defeat by the Warriors last year.
Senior said Leeds had to 'dig deep'
They almost extended the lead when a high cross-field kick by Webb was grabbed by Donald but Darrell Goulding put in a superb defensive effort to stop him getting the ball down.
Wigan continued to put Leeds under pressure but it was the Rhinos who scored with Burrow showing his pace to run 70 metres to the line after gathering a Trent Barrett kick that bounced off the head of prop Stuart Fielden.
Barrett's kicking tested the Leeds defence time after time and Wigan forced four consecutive sets as the Rhinos were forced to dig deep. They finally got their reward just before the break when Donald failed to control the high cross-field kick from Thomas Leuluai and Mark Calderwood grounded the ball to score against his former club.
Although Wigan enjoyed the best of the territory in the opening half, Leeds began the second half strongly with Sinfield taking the ball himself from a short kick-off and Wigan conceded a number of penalties.
But Wigan composed themselves again and Richards looked to have given them the lead on 52 minutes but the try was disallowed for obstruction by Joel Tomkins.
But the second-half pressure from Leeds finally paid off when Danny McGuire sent the ball through to Diskin and he fed Webb to go over underneath the post and Sinfield extended the lead with the extras.
Wigan got back into the game when a neat offload by George Carmont found Leuluai to go over on 66 minutes.
Noble was proud of Wigan's effort
The try gave Wigan a lift with the Leeds defence tiring and Liam Colbon almost put them in only to be denied by a superb double tackle from McGuire and Webb.
It swung the initiative back to Leeds and Senior broke through the middle to give them some vital metres and it helped set up Donald to go in at the corner to put them 22-16 up with four minutes to play while Sinfield scored a late drop-goal to make it safe.
Leeds coach Brian McClennan (on Jamie Peacock): "He was outstanding. In the last five minutes he looked like he has fought in all the wars.
"He is bleeding from his elbow to his eye but he just kept taking it up. It was just a phenomenal effort from a great rugby league player.
"It was one of those classic old-style games and there were big plays by people on both teams. It was a great effort by every player who took the field.
"There wasn't a lot in it. In the end we just managed to capitalise on our breaks."
Wigan coach Brian Noble: "It would have been worthy of the final. On any other given day, I think we would have come away with the spoils.
"The effort was terrific from the players and sometimes the best team doesn't come away with the spoils.
"We just couldn't quite get to their half of the field enough times in the second half.
"We really tried to play. The boys had a huge dig but the bounce of the ball has gone Leeds' way."
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