1. A method comprising: receiving, at a receiving node, a query from an originating node in a distributed network, the query including an original quality threshold; identifying at least one result satisfying the query; determining a response delay for a response to the query based on a response plan for the query and a quality for the at least one result, wherein the response plan defines different response delays based on different qualities of query results; generating the response to the query including the at least one result; sending the response after the response delay has expired; receiving, at the receiving node, a re-issued version of the query from the originating node having a lower quality threshold that is less than the original quality threshold; identifying at least one result satisfying the re-issued version of the query and having a quality greater than or equal to the lower threshold and less than the original quality threshold; determining a response delay for a response to the re-issued version of the query based on a response plan for the re-issued version of the query and a quality for the at least one result satisfying the re-issued version of the query; generating the response to the re-issued version of the query including the at least one result satisfying the re-issued version of the query; and sending the response to the re-issued version of the query after the response delay for the response to the re-issued version of the query has expired.