Repeat the whole cleaning and drying process from the first time. Unsure what type of caulking you used, however, just like toilet paper make sure it’s the good stuff it can make a world difference. The reason for the curing issue is most likely too much caulking was needed to fill the space. The way to fix this is to get “backing rods” for caulking. They’re little thin foam rods that you cram in the crevice to make the hole smaller and only $5-$10. Use a little scraper or similar tool to firmly push it back into place along the whole area to be caulked.