The winning ticket for a $16.5 million lottery jackpot was turned in Thursday less than two hours before it expired, the head of the Iowa Lottery said.

Lottery officials tried for months to urge the winner to come forward and claim the prize. Iowa Lottery Chief Executive Terry Rich said the reminders "worked as we had hoped, and brought in the winner just in time."

The identity of the Hot Lotto winner, and the story of why the winner waited so long to turn in the ticket, are still a mystery for now. Rich said the ticket was presented to the lottery Thursday by a representative of a Des Moines, Iowa, law firm on behalf of a trust.

"We look forward to learning the details we've all been wondering about these many months," Rich said.

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