Diana Nyad, 64, Swim 110-Mile Cuba-to-Florida

So how do you swim 110 miles though jellyfish-infested ocean water from Cuba to the United States?

Diana Nyad used a mantra on her swim into history. "The phrase I decided to use was 'find a way,'" the long-distance swimmer told ABC’s "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, a day after stepping onto land after 53 hours in the water.

Nyad, 64, completed her goal of becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage on her fifth attempt. Her first attempt was in 1978 and she tried three times in 2011 and 2012.

Stinging jellyfish have been the bane of the swimmer’s efforts.

Nyad told NBC's "Today" show, that she and her team decided she would use a protective mask to shield her from the jellyfish on this attempt. Though she was protected from jellyfish stings, the mask made it harder for her to breathe, she said. She also wore a "jellyfish suit."

Nyad was a successful youth swimmer and an Olympic prospect when illness ended that career at 17. Since then she has built a successful niche as an author of three books, a motivational speaker and as a reporter and commentator.

She first earned national attention swimming 28 miles around Manhattan in 1975 in less than eight hours. In 1979 she swam the 102 miles from North Bimini, Bahamas, to Juno Beach, Fla., in 27.5 hours.

The irony of swimming from Cuba to the United States is especially delicious since the island has been persona non grata for decades since Fidel Castro announced he was a Communist. In addition to fostering an invasion of Cuba after the revolution, the United States imposed an embargo on the country that has continued for decades. In 1980, about 125,000 people fled Cuba by boat when the Castro government allowed them to leave for the United States.

Nyad was described as healthy after her swim and will take time to recover from dehydration, sunburn and swelling in and around her mouth.