She’s thrilled to have scored the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the second year in a row; however Kate Upton had her work cut out for her when it came time to do the actual photo shoot.

The curvaceous cutie went all the way to Antarctica to snag the perfect pictures, a feat made difficult by the freezing temperatures.

Kate explained, "It was definitely the hardest shoot I've ever done. The best as well – Antarctica is one of the most beautiful place I've ever been to. But I'm from Florida, so it was pretty painful."

Meanwhile, editor MJ Day sang Kate’s praises for being such a good sport- "She never complained. She'd just say, 'Okay, let's go do it again.'"

“Everything about the picture is perfect. The light, the background, the suit. It's different from what we've done in past years, and it was an exciting moment for us to have those photos work out."

She added, "It was difficult. First of all, it's cold, even though we were there in summer. The wind chill was sub-zero – the elements are really working against you."