A man has solved a Rubik's cube after 26 years of trying.

Graham Parker, a 45-year-old father from Hampshire, said that the puzzle had consumed 27,000 hours of his life since he started working on it in the early 1980s.

There are more than 43 quintillion (yes, that is a number) configurations of the cube, and only one solution. Masters of the puzzle take just minutes to turn each side into a solid block colour -- but in the light of Parker's achievement, you could argue they are missing the point.

Friends and coworkers often offered to help Parker man finish the cube, but the heroic man refused all assistance, insisting that the puzzle was his task and his alone. He paid a steep price for his obsession.

"I have missed important events to stay in and solve it and I would lie awake at night thinking about it," he said. "I have had wrist and back problems from spending hours on it but it was all worth it. When I clicked that last bit into place and each face was a solid colour, I wept."

Now the puzzle is completed, Parker says he does not miss it. "I cannot tell you what a relief it was to finally solve it," Parker said. "It has driven me mad over the years – it felt like it had taken over my life."

There is no word yet on whether the man plans to reset the cube and try to solve it again. But if he does, he'd better hurry up --if it takes him just as long next time he will be 71 before the task is completed again.

Also on Asylum -- We're big fans of adults obsessed by 80s toys here on Asylum. Check out the world's greatest Etch A Sketch artwork below!

Amazing Etch A Sketch Art