diff --git a/pkg/cloudcfg/parse.go b/pkg/cloudcfg/parse.go
index 2656bf49d7..d5b40deca4 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudcfg/parse.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudcfg/parse.go
@@ -24,18 +24,32 @@ func ToWireFormat(data []byte, storage string) ([]byte, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown storage type: %v", storage)
 	}
 
-	// Try parsing as json and yaml
-	parsed_json := reflect.New(prototypeType).Interface()
-	json_err := json.Unmarshal(data, parsed_json)
-	parsed_yaml := reflect.New(prototypeType).Interface()
-	yaml_err := yaml.Unmarshal(data, parsed_yaml)
+	// Try parsing json
+	json_out, json_err := tryJSON(data, reflect.New(prototypeType).Interface())
+	if json_err == nil {
+		return json_out, json_err
+	}
 
-	if json_err != nil && yaml_err != nil {
+	// Try parsing yaml
+	yaml_out, yaml_err := tryYAML(data, reflect.New(prototypeType).Interface())
+	if yaml_err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Could not parse input as json (error: %v) or yaml (error: %v", json_err, yaml_err)
 	}
-
-	if json_err != nil {
-		return json.Marshal(parsed_json)
-	}
-	return json.Marshal(parsed_yaml)
+	return yaml_out, yaml_err
+}
+
+func tryJSON(data []byte, obj interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
+	err := json.Unmarshal(data, obj)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return json.Marshal(obj)
+}
+
+func tryYAML(data []byte, obj interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
+	err := yaml.Unmarshal(data, obj)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return json.Marshal(obj)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/cloudcfg/parse_test.go b/pkg/cloudcfg/parse_test.go
index 26bf6445f3..1884466de6 100644
--- a/pkg/cloudcfg/parse_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cloudcfg/parse_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ func TestParseBadStorage(t *testing.T) {
 func DoParseTest(t *testing.T, storage string, obj interface{}) {
 	json_data, _ := json.Marshal(obj)
 	yaml_data, _ := yaml.Marshal(obj)
+	t.Logf("Intermediate yaml:\n%v\n", string(yaml_data))
 
 	json_got, json_err := ToWireFormat(json_data, storage)
 	yaml_got, yaml_err := ToWireFormat(yaml_data, storage)
@@ -28,7 +29,6 @@ func DoParseTest(t *testing.T, storage string, obj interface{}) {
 	if yaml_err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("yaml err: %#v", yaml_err)
 	}
-	t.Logf("Intermediate yaml:\n%v\n", string(yaml_data))
 	if string(json_got) != string(json_data) {
 		t.Errorf("json output didn't match:\nGot:\n%v\n\nWanted:\n%v\n",
 			string(json_got), string(json_data))