Caleb Johnson Caleb Johnson

The American Idol winner didn't take the easy road to victory.

Caleb Johnson claimed the title on his third try on the Fox singing competition as he triumphed Wednesday over fellow finalist Jena Irene.

"I worked so hard just honing my performance abilities, my craft, my singing and I can't believe I won this show. This is true perseverance. If you never give up, you can make your dreams come true," the 23-year-old from Asheville, N.C., said in his first interview moments after his victory.

The multiple audition efforts helped with "learning all the ins and outs of the industry."

Johnson got caught up in the moment after host Ryan Seacrest announced that he was the Season 13 Idol, briefly trying to sing his first post-Idol single, As Long As You Love Me, before stopping to hug his fellow finalists on the Nokia Theatre stage.

"I was just so overwhelmed. My gosh, I don't even know. It completely overwhelmed me. Oooh," he said, exhaling. His fellow finalists "were like, 'Sing, sing, sing!' And I was like, 'Oh my gosh!' I tried to sing some more and then I was like, 'Oh, man.' "

Before Seacrest's announcement, Johnson said he and Irene "told each other we love each other and that no matter what happens, we're going to have awesome careers and we just soaked up every last minute of that."

Irene, 17, of Farmington Hills, Mich., said she thought Johnson was going to win. "I'm so excited for Caleb. I'm so happy," she said after the show.

One of Irene's highlights was performing with Paramore. "That was a dream come true," she said.

Johnson got to sing with Kiss. "They're icons. That's music I grew up listening to my whole life," he said.

The Idol winner said he wants to make "a really heavy, soulful rock record with a lot of conviction and a lot of depth. I love blues and soul but my basis is rock and roll, so that's the kind of record I want to make."

With an August album release planned, he knows he has his work cut out for him and that he can't spend too much time celebrating his victory.

"I've got to move on and just get right to work on writing my record and releasing it and and touring it," he said. "It's going to be so much fun."

TBA