Two Missouri residents won a $50,000 lottery prize after playing the same set of Powerball numbers for 30 years

• Three decades of persistence has finally paid off for two lottery players in Missouri.
• The anonymous players won a $50,000 prize after using the same set of numbers for 30 years.

Sometimes a little persistence pays off — at least in the case of two lottery players in Missouri who were finally rewarded for their tenacity after using the same set of numbers for 30 years.

The anonymous players will split a $50,000 prize from the June 25 Powerball drawing after their numbers finally struck gold, according to a press release from The Missouri Lottery.

The numbers had special significance to family members, one of the winners said in the release.

"He's always played the same numbers," the player added. "He couldn't hardly believe he won."

The winning numbers were 6, 12, 20, 27, and 32, and the Powerball number was 4. The two players got four out of the five white ball numbers correct, as well as the Powerball number.

Many Americans have also taken their chances with the lottery in recent days, after the Mega Millions jackpot climbed to $1.28 billion after no one matched all six numbers since April 15. The dry spell ended Saturday when one winner in Illinois was announced.