We use inelastic neutron scattering and dielectric constant measurements to study the doping influence on the spin dynamics and magnetoelectric (ME) effect in hexagonalY0.7Lu0.3MnO3. In undoped YMnO3 and LuMnO3, the Mn trimerization distortion has been suggested to play a key role in determining the magnetic structure and the magnetoelectric effect. In Y0.7Lu0.3MnO3, at the antiferromagnetic zone center, we observed a much smaller Δ12≈0.52 meV gap (which is ∼2.5meV for both YMnO3 and LuMnO3) that coincides with a weaker in-plane dielectric anomaly at TN; both can be attributed to a weaker Mn trimerization distortion in Y0.7Lu0.3MnO3 compared to YMnO3 and LuMnO3. The results provide strong evidence that the magnitude of ME coupling is linked to the strength of the trimerization distortion, suggesting the Mn trimerization is responsible for the ME effect in Y1−yLuyMnO3.