Susan's Dream Comes to an End; Watch Her Final Performance

In the end, Susan Boyle overcame a form of adversity, but she could not surpass Diversity, a dance troupe which bested her to win Britain's Got Talent.

Boyle turned to the tune that made her famous — Les Miserables' "I Dreamed a Dream" — for Saturday's season finale performance. Watch below:

In the end, she settled for second place, as Diversity was awarded the 100,000 pound ($159,000) prize and the chance to perform before Queen Elizabeth II.

A 10-member dance troupe, Diversity had said that while it would take a "spectacular performance" to beat Boyle, they thought they could "give her a good run for her money."

To the very end, Boyle was a class act, curtseying in her sparkling, floor-length gown upon learning of her fate.

Plus, the 47-year-old Scottish church volunteer walked away with perhaps more than a BGT win: some 90 million YouTube downloads, pop-culture omnipresence and, best of all, kind words from judge Simon Cowell.

"Win or lose," Simon told Boyle, "you had the guts to come back here tonight, face your critics — and you beat them."