The Wales-born Hampshire racer was third in the Vendee Globe race, crossing the line at 7.25am local time in Les Sables d'Olonne in France in his 60-foot monohull yacht.
Thomson, 38, was at sea for 80 days, 19 hours, 23 minutes and 43 seconds and won £64,000 with his placing on the 27,000-mile 'Marathon of the Seas'.
It the first time he has completed the round-the-world voyage after two previous attempts.
Frenchman Francois Gabart won the Vendee - which began on November 10 in the same port - two days, 18 hours and seven minutes ahead of Thomson.
The Briton twice had to rebuild his hydrogenerators, his onboard source of electricity, a problem which forced him to run his Hugo Boss boat on low power for a month.
Thomson is only the third Briton to finish on a Vendee podium. Ellen MacArthur was second in 2001 and Mike Golding - who is in sixth in this race - finished third in 2004 to set the previous record.
