The Bulldogs made light of the unavailability of a host of players through State of Origin duty, suspension and injury for a victory that keeps them among the competition's frontrunners.
The win was secured one minute from fulltime, with Ben Barba scoring a try after a big run by Tim Winatana, two of their replacement players.
Hazem El Masri, the NRL's greatest points scorer who is on his last trip to Auckland before retiring at the end of the season, landed all three of his goalkicking attempts.
The Warriors stayed on the field after the match to pay tribute to El Masri.
Three successive defeats mean the Auckland-based side, who have failed to score more than 17 points in their past 11 matches, now face the prospect of having to win every one of their eight remaining fixtures to reach the playoffs.
The one real positive for them on a cold but dry afternoon was the excellent form of youngster Kevin Locke, who again showed a rare ability in attack and defence.
Locke also scored a spectacular try midway through the second half, leaping above two defenders to pull in a Stacey Jones bomb.
Coach Ivan Cleary said the Warriors' display summed up their season.
"Not being able to convert points, making pretty poor errors when we had them under pressure," he said.
"And we couldn't defend those errors today, particularly when it really counted at the back end of the game."
Cleary said he was still absorbing what had happened in the game and had not thought about whether the Warriors' chances of making the finals for the third consecutive year were over.
Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore praised his players' "tremendous effort" after a disrupted week, in particular their composure in the closing stages.
He said the result showed how far the Bulldogs had come since they finished last in 2008.
"We came over expecting to play strongly and we knew we would be right in the contest," he said.
"What it does give you is confidence that, from here to the back end of the year, if you get a couple of injuries, we have people who can handle the situation."
The Warriors made a late change before kickoff, with centre Jerome Ropati ruled out due to a shoulder injury he suffered in his big hit on Brisbane forward Joel Clinton last weekend.
They made a strong start, getting on the board after just five minutes through winger Manu Vatuvei, back after a week out with a hamstring strain.
But they couldn't add to their 4-0 lead over the remainder of the half, despite an overwhelming early penalty advantage.
Instead, the Bulldogs, with halfback Daniel Holdsworth pulling the strings effectively in the absence of Brett Kimmorley on Origin duty, took the lead just minutes from the break.
The was a touch of good fortune to the try, with Brad Morrin's pass bouncing off the legs of Warrior Micheal Luck, before hooker Michael Sullivan pounced on the loose ball.
They went further ahead shortly after the restart from a backline move which ended with in-form five-eighth Ben Roberts' pass sending fullback Luke Patten through a gap.
Locke's try lifted the Warriors and they went back in front with 14min remaining when prop Russell Packer crashed over and Locke converted for a 14-12 scoreline.
But just when it looked like the Warriors would hang on, Barba delivered the killer blow.
