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The Cods an uphill battle after being reduced to ten men before the interval, but they struggled valiantly with Dean Gordon and Justin Whittle getting through a vast amount of work.
It was in midfield where Scunthorpe had the edge, Ian Baraclough's skilful play was a great asset, while Lee Ridley's continuing excellent form helped keep the Grimsby attack in check.
Neither side produced any real football in the opening half, Scunthorpe having the better possession, but the pace of the game was fast and furious.
The Mariners were first to show with Jon Daly flashing a scissor-kick over the bar.
However, Scunthorpe struck in the 16th minute. A quickly taken free-kick by Peter Beagrie was despatched by Baraclough into the path of Hayes who took the ball in his stride to hammer a right-foot shot beyond Tony Williams.
The visitors came back and Ashley Sestanovich blazed a free-kick over the bar, Stacy Coldicott was shown a yellow card for diving in the box, and then Daly saw a header go wide of the mark.
In a half that was punctuated by a series of around 20 free-kicks, Grimsby were reduced to ten men after 37 minutes when Daly was shown a straight red card for a needless elbow on Baraclough.
Referee Nigel Miller was a busy man for he also showed five yellow cards, four of them to visiting players.
The Cods made desperate attempts to retrieve the situation in the early stages of the second half, when veteran defender John McDermott first headed into Paul Musselwhite's hands and then fired a 35-yard drive over the top.
However the incompetent visitors created more problems for themselves in the 69th minute.
Scunthorpe skipper Andy Crosby pumped the ball forward and, as Justin Whittle and Gordon converged, keeper Williams was also drawn off his line. The ball fell clear and Hayes pounced to score, and he won't get an easier chance all season.