1. A system, comprising: a gateway server configured to generate a plurality of partial queries from a database query for a database containing data stored in a distributed storage cluster that has a plurality of data nodes, and to construct a query result based on a plurality of intermediate results; and a plurality of worker nodes, wherein each worker node of the plurality of worker nodes is configured to process a respective partial query of the plurality of partial queries by scanning data related to the respective partial query and stored on at least one data node of the distributed storage cluster, and wherein each worker node of the plurality of worker nodes is further configured to generate an intermediate result of the plurality of intermediate results that is stored in a memory of that worker node; wherein the gateway server is further configured to identify a straggling worker node, further divide a partial query that is assigned to the straggling worker node into a plurality of subordinate partial queries based on quantity and location information of input file blocks of the query, and assign the plurality of subordinate partial queries to some of the plurality of worker nodes, wherein the straggling worker node is a worker node that either fails to report a rate of progress to the gateway server or reports the rate of progress below a specified value after a specified time period to the gateway server.