Husky News

Defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey won his fourth consecutive Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old Fairbanks musher completed the 1,000-mile race by pulling into Whitehorse, Yukon, at 1:23 a.m., 15 minutes ahead of Ken Anderson.

Mackey last year became the first person to win the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in the same year. This year’s Iditarod begins March 1 with the ceremonial start in Anchorage and the official restart the next day in Willow.

The Yukon Quest started Feb. 9 in Fairbanks, and Mackey crossed the finish line 10 days, 12 hours and 14 minutes later.

Mackey’s victory came despite a major blunder. While running with his headlamp off, Mackey made a wrong turn about 750 miles into the race, a mistake that cost him four hours to correct. Mackey said he made that time back by speeding up and cutting rest.

He left the last checkpoint, at Braeburn, at 1:53 p.m. Tuesday after the mandatory eight-hour layover. He had a 19-minute lead on Anderson.

Anderson — relying on splits from spectators along the route — was able to get the deficit down to four minutes along the final stretch, but faded at the end.

Mackey finished with 11 dogs, more than anyone in the 24-musher field.

Previously, Hans Gatt had been the only three-time Yukon Quest winner, taking the 2002-04 titles. Mackey has won every Yukon Quest since.

On the Net:

http://www.yukonquest.com

http://www.iditarod.com

Source: International Herald Tribune