Evan Lysacek won his second straight title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships today, though the results will show him with the same score as Johnny Weir. The two — who have combined to win the last five U.S. crowns — both finished with 244.77 points. But Lysacek won the free skate, and that's the tiebreaker.

Fans didn't quite know what to do with that. The scoreboard showed the two as even, and they booed when Weir was announced as the runner-up.

Still, Weir has nothing to regret. And just wait until next year. Odds are, these two will be at it again.

Stephen Carriere, last year's world junior champion, was third with 228.06 points.

Lysacek and Weir have a back-and-forth that's one of the best things going in skating. Weir won the U.S. title from 2004-06, while Lysacek was winning a pair of bronze medals at the world championships.

But Lysacek has had the edge at home recently, now winning the last two U.S. titles. Still, this is a much better showing for Weir than last year, when an awful free skate dropped him to third.

Lysacek said after Friday's short program that he thought coming in as the defending champion would give him a confidence boost, not a case of the nerves. But he didn't have his usual sharpness or precision, and until his last two sections of footwork, his free skate lacked his usual intensity and emotion.

He landed his quadruple toe loop jump on two feet, and needed to do a turn before the triple toe that's supposed to be a combination. He wasn't very secure on the landings of either of his triple axels, too, though he held on to both of them.

He ended the program nicely, though. His straight-line footwork is filled with intricate steps and kicks and fast hops and turns. It always gets a nice reaction from the crowd, and this was no different. They were cheering and clapping before his music even finished, and Lysacek pumped his fist in satisfaction.

But he'd left room for Weir.

The two were separated by only 1.35 points after the short program, so whoever won Sunday's free skate would be the champion. But Weir couldn't take advantage.

The two were evenly matched in jumps — both two-footed their quads and did seven triples. But Weir also appeared to land his triple flip on two feet, and he had simpler entrances to his jumps. It may not sound like much, but it was enough to make the difference between silver and gold.

Weir shook up his entire life after last year's dismal season, switching coaches, choreographers and even the city where he lives. He now trains outside of New York City with Galina Zmievskaya, who coached Olympic gold medalists Viktor Petrenko and Oksana Baiul.

But something was missing in his performances at nationals. When he's on, he is one of the most majestic skaters in the world, with a natural gift for artistry and the ability to wring every ounce of emotion out of a program.

There was none of that in either his short program or free skate. He seemed to be all business, as if he was crossing one thing after another off a mental checklist. Even his footwork, one of his strength, lacked intensity. It was strong enough, but without any excitement.