Dallas Seavey wins Iditarod for third time in four years

Dallas Seavey won the Iditarod for the third time in four years on Wednesday, crossing the finish line in Nome after a 1,000-mile dog-sled trek across Alaska.

Seavey, who also won in 2012 and 2014, finished the race in a total time of 8 days 18 hours 13 minutes and six seconds. He was met with applause from fans lining the street at the finish. His father, Mitch Seavey, remained on the course and was listed in second place on Wednesday morning.

Dallas Seavey, 28, hugged his dogs after he crossed the finish line. “It takes a whole team to get us here,” he said. He later put two of the dogs on his lap and draped garlands of yellow flowers on them.

“I’m pretty tired right about now — it’s been a tough race,” he said. “The cold zaps you. The dogs, they’re very lively, but it takes a lot of effort to keep them well-fed, keep them rocking and rolling. This is a hard dog team to keep up with.”

Still, Seavey said he “loved every second of it.”

“Wins are a result of doing what we love,” he said.

Seavey was presented with $70,000 and a new pickup truck for winning the race.

Seavey managed to pull away from the other race leaders in the latter part of the race and had a 25-mile advantage over his closest competitor on Tuesday morning.

“As long as you take care of the dog team [and] make good decisions, good things will happen. Wins are a result of doing what we love,” he said.

The race started in Fairbanks on March 9 with a total of 78 mushers. Two dogs have died in this year’s race, including one hit by a car after getting loose during a ceremonial start. The other dog died on the race route.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.