Updated at 6:10 p.m., Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Mackey wins Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race
By Mary Pemberton
Associated Press
Mackey crossed under the famed burled arch in downtown Nome early this evening, completing the 1,100-mile Iditarod in just over nine days.
He celebrated as he came down Nome's Front Street, alternately waving a fist in the air, then high-fiving fans that lined the street. His family mobbed him at the finish line.
On Feb. 20, Mackey won his third consecutive Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, a 1,000 mile race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon.
With only 12 days rest, Mackey took 13 of his 16 dogs from the Yukon Quest to Willow for the March 4 official start of the Iditarod. In the two races, the dog team covered a distance equivalent to mushing from Boston to Salt Lake City.
Mackey, 36, who is running in his sixth Iditarod, joined his father, Dick Mackey, and brother, Rick, as Iditarod champions.
