Hines Ward said he didn't just win "Dancing With the Stars" for himself; he did it for the team.

"It's just phenomenal," Hines told People magazine. "I didn't want to let Kym down. I really wanted her to win her second mirror-ball trophy."

Tuesday night saw him take home the coveted award after more than two months of sweating it out in the studio so that he could dominate on the dance floor. From the beginning, Hines was a "DWTS" fave for S2S, and it wasn't long before his moves and his determination pegged him as real contender for the season 12 title.

While Hines made it look effortless to glide around the ballroom with a huge smile, the  NFL player admitted, dancing is a lot harder than it looks at home.

"It's grueling; it's grueling," he said "I disrespected the show when I first came on. I was like, 'I can do that.' But I've been doing it. There's a lot of hard work that goes into it."

Keeping that in mind, he advises that anyone brave enough to take on the beast that is ballroom dancing, "Be prepared to work your butt off. You're going to lose weight, but it'll be very grueling on your feet."

— Sonya Eskridge

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Hines Ward wins 'DWTS' season 12
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