Iditarod musher Michelle Phillips, from Tagish, YT, Canada, arrives at the Unalakleet checkpoint at sunrise during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 9, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Iditarod musher Wade Marrs, from Wasilla, AK, arrives at the Unalakleet checkpoint at sunrise during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 9, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Robert Sorlie leaves the Kaltag checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Aliy Zirkle drives her dog team into the Unalakleet Checkpoint. Zirkle is first musher to reach the Bering Sea in Unalakleet during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Iditarod musher John Baker, from Kotzebue, Ak, prepares dog food for his team at the Unalakleet checkpoint at sunrise during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 9, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Robert Sorlie drives his team out of the Yukon River village of Kaltag during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Robert Sorlie prepares to leave the Yukon River village of Kaltag during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Sonny Lindner lines out his dogs after coming into the Unalakleet checkpoint at 6:09 PM during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Iditarod musher Richie Diehl, from Aniak, AK, gets hot water to prepare dog food for his team at the Unalakleet checkpoint at sunrise during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 9, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Frederick Huntington visits with one of Hans Gatt's dogs after he arrived into the Yukon River village of Kaltag during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Aliy Zirkle drives her dog team across the portage from Kaltag to Unalakleet. Zirkle is the first musher to reach the Bering Sea in Unalakleet during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Aliy Zirkle mushes her dog team between the checkpoints of Kaltag and Unalakleet during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
A Nome public works truck dumps a load of snow onto Front Street on Sunday, March 9, 2014, in Nome, Alaska. The snow was trucked in to provide a trail for mushers to the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen) ( Iditarod )
Hans Gatt drives his team off the Yukon River into the village of Kaltag during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Ralph Johannessen gets his finger taped up at the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Puntilla Lake, Alaska. Johannessen had earlier cut the finger opening a can. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Robert Bundtzen drives his team onto Puntilla Lake in Alaska as he arrives at the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Ralph Johannessen, of Dagali, Norway, rolls his sled as he comes down the steps onto the Happy River between the Finger Lake and Rainy Pass checkpoints heading to Puntilla Lake, Alaska, during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
Martin Buser mushes across the virtually snowless Farewell Burn during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, March 3, 2014. Four-time champion Buser is holding on to his lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Ray Redington Jr. rests at the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Puntilla Lake, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
Martin Buser, left, shows his swollen ankle to Aaron Burmeister in the school cafeteria during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, in Nikolai, Alaska. The swelling of Buser's ankle has gone down after a short rest at the Nikolai checkpoint. Burmeister injured his knee about 18 miles past the Rohn checkpoint on the snowless Farewell Burn. His knee popped out and he had to tape it up so it would stay in place. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Nikolai )
Aliy Zirkle shows one of her dog booties that is completely worn through after 25 miles on the Farewell Burn at the Nikolai checkpoint in Nikolai, Alaska, during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Nikolai )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Musher Jim Lanier eats his lunch at the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Puntilla Lake, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
A stuffed toy husky wearing a helmet sits on the front of the sled of Nicolas Petit at the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, in Nikolai, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Nikolai )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Ramey Smyth drives his dog team into the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Puntilla Lake, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
Musher Hans Gatt has dried blood around his eyes after coming off the Farewell Burn and into the Nikolai, Alaska, checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Gatt hit a tree on the Burn just outside of Rohn. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, a musher leaves the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Puntilla Lake, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Ralph Johannessen, of Dagali, Norway, rolls his sled as he comes down the steps onto the Happy River between the Finger Lake and Rainy Pass checkpoints heading to Puntilla Lake, Alaska, during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, DeeDee Jonrowe sleeps on her sled at the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Puntilla Lake, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Iditarod veterinarian George Stroberg, left, blows on Precious's paw as Anna Berington holds her at the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Puntilla Lake, Alaska. Precious tore part of a toenail off and the vet snipped off the rest of it and then cauterized it to stop the bleeding. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, a musher is near the Rainy Pass checkpoint by Puntilla Lake, Alaska, during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
Aaron Burmeister puts straw down for his dogs at the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, in Nikolai, Alaska. Burmeister injured his knee about 18 miles past the Rohn checkpoint on the snowless Farewell Burn. His knee popped out and he had to tape it up so it would stay in place. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Nikolai )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Martin Buser mushes across the snowless Farewell Burn in Alaska, during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Farewell Burn )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, Rick Casillo comes over the last drop as he comes down the steps onto the Happy River between the Finger Lake and Rainy Pass checkpoints heading to Puntilla Lake, Alaska, during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, a musher drives his dog team down the Dalzell Gorge out of the Rainy Pass checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race near Puntilla Lake, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
Aaron Burmeister's sled dogs rest at the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Burmeister injured his knee about 18 miles past the Rohn checkpoint on the snowless Farewell Burn. His knee popped out and he had to tape it up so it would stay in place. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Veterinarian Bruce Nwadike checks the dogs of musher Mike Williams Jr. at the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, in Nikolai, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Nikolai )
In this March 3, 2014 photo, a pair of mushers drive their dog teams down the Dalzell Gorge out of the Rainy Pass checkpoint near Puntilla Lake, Alaska, during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Rainy Pass )
Musher Mike Williams Jr. hands his vet book to veterinarian Bruce Nwadike at the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Nikolai )
Phil Runkle brings an armful of wood to the water heater at the Nikolai, Alaska, checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at sunrise on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. The checkpoint provides hot water for all of the mushers. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Kristy Berington mushes down the Iditarod Trail in the middle of the Farewell Burn during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Musher Rick Casillo stops to snack his dogs next to the trail in the middle of the Farewell Burn during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Nikolai resident Oline Petruska, talks with visitors at the Nikolai, Alaska, checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at sunrise Wednesday, March 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Mats Pettersson lines up his dogs as he prepares to continue across the Farewell Burn during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Jake Berkowitz, left, who busted up his sled beyond repair and scratched in the middle of the Burn, looks on. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
In this Tuesday, March 4, 2014 photo, Mats Pettersson crouches down with the leaders of his team as he prepares to continue across the Farewell Burn after a brief stop during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Rick Casillo, Charley Bejna and Jake Berkowitz are parked in the middle of the Farewell Burn during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Berkowitzís sled is busted beyond repair and he scratched. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
A musher walks at the Nikolai, Alaska, checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at sunrise on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( APTOPIX Iditarod )
Musher Mike Williams Jr. sits on his dog sled as he changes batteries in his headlamp at the Nikolai, Alaska, checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at sunrise on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Jake Berkowitz and his team are stuck in the middle of the Farewell Burn during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Berkowitzís sled is busted beyond repair and he scratched. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Musher Jason Mackey winces with pain as he moves his arm in the school cafeteria at the Nikolai, Alaska, checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Musher Newton Marshall gets hot water from the wood-fired heater at the Nikolai, Alaska, checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at sunrise on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. The checkpoint provides hot water for all of the mushers. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Rick Casillo, Charley Bejna and Jake Berkowitz are parked in the middle of the Farewell Burn during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 201. Berkowitzís sled is busted beyond repair and he scratched. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Iditarod musher Newton Marshall talks about helping out a musher on the Farewell Burn with a broken ankle at the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at sunrise on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Anna Berington changes her socks as she sits in the Iditarod trail in the middle of the Farewell Burn during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
A musher and two dogs walk the trail in the middle of the Farewell Burn during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. The rest of his team waited along the trail less then a mile ahead of him. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Aaron Burmeister comes into the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014, in Nikolai, Alaska. Burmeister injured his knee about 18 miles past the Rohn checkpoint on the snowless Farewell Burn. His knee popped out and he had to tape it up so it would stay in place. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Nikolai )
Flash, a team dog for musher Mike Williams Jr., rests on his bed of straw at the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at sunrise on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( 2014 Iditarod Nikolai )
A musher and the team rest next to the trail in the middle of the Farewell Burn during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Nikolai residents Oline Petruska, Tyler Alexia and Stephanie Petruska wait by the wood fired hot water for mushers to come in at the Nikolai checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race at sunrise on Wednesday, March 5, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
John Baker comes into the Finger Lake checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, March 3, 2014, near Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Mike Ellis comes into the Finger Lake checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, March 3, 2014, near Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Robert Bundtzen comes into the Finger Lake checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, March 3, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Iditarod musher Nathan Schroeder drives his dog team down the trail just after the start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race out of Willow, Alaska, Sunday, March 2, 2014. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( APTOPIX Iditarod )
Mitch Seavey feeds his team at the Finger Lake checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, March 3, 2014, near Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Linwood Fiedler surveys his team at the Finger Lake checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, March 3, 2014, near Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Mike Santos drives his dog team into the Finger Lake checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, March 3, 2014, near Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Iditarod checkers Susanne Rieder and Michelle Keagle work in the cook area as they wait for mushers at the Finger Lake checkpoint during the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday evening, March 2, 2014. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Aliy Zirkle's team runs across Willow Lake as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
A sled dog takes advantage of unseasonably warm temperatures to get some sun from the hole in a kennel on a musher before the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen) ( Iditarod )
Nathan Schroeder drives his dog team down the trail just after the start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race out of Willow, Alaska, Sunday, March 2, 2014. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( APTOPIX Iditarod )
Musher Paige Drobny, of Fairbanks, waves to the crowd after she leaves the staring line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Willow Lake, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
A musher drives his dog team down the chute during the start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow, Alaska, Sunday, March 2, 2014. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Aliy Zirkle waves to fans at the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Scott Janssen of Anchorage, Alaska, top, catches up to Allen Moore of Two Rivers, Alaska, on the Cordova Street hill during the ceremonial start for the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Erik Hill) ( Iditarod )
Veteran musher DeeDee Jonrowe leads her team to the starting line before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Willow Lake, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
A musher drives his dog team in front of Mount Foraker, Mount Hunter and Mount McKinley just after the start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race out of Willow, Alaska, Sunday, March 2, 2014. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
The dogs of Marcelle Fressineau of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, trot down the Chester Creek trail during the ceremonial start for the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Erik Hill) ( Iditarod )
Fans of the Norwegian contingent of mushers cheer Tommy Jordbrudal, of Norway at the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Jake Berkowitz of Big Lake, Alaska, drives his dog team along Campbell Air Strip near the end of the ceremonial start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Dan Joling) ( Iditarod )
Iditarod musher Nathan Schroeder drives his dog team down the trail just after the start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race out of Willow, Alaska, Sunday, March 2, 2014. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Musher Newton Marshall, who said he's celebrating his 31st birthday, hugs someone before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
John Dixon of Fairbanks, Alaska, is chased along the Chester Creek trail by Cindy Abbott of Irvine, Calif., during the ceremonial start for the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Erik Hill) ( Iditarod )
With Mount Foraker, Mount Hunter and Mount McKinley on the horizon, mushers prepare their teams for the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Fans line up along the course for the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Willow Lake, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Gus Guenther of Clam Gulch, Alaska, leaves the starting line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Musher DeeDee Jonrowe prays with Scott Jenkins of Alaska Missions before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Willow Lake, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Defending champion Mitch Seavey slaps hands with the crowd at the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Young fans peek down the chute at the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Jem, a dog in Justin Savidis' team pokes his head out of the dog truck before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Willow Lake, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Musher Jessie Royer of Darby, Mt., drivers her dog team along Campbell Air Strip near the end of the ceremonial start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Dan Joling) ( Iditarod )
A musher drives his dog team past some open water just after the start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race out of Willow, Alaska, Sunday, March 2, 2014. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bob Hallinen) ( Iditarod )
Dogs in Jim Lanier's team rest before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Willow Lake, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Defending champion Mitch Seavey talks with others before the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race got under way Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Aliy Zirkle of Two Rivers, Alaska, greets fans at the top of Cordova Street Hill during the ceremonial start for the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Erik Hill) ( Iditarod )
Dogs in Curt Perano's team leave the starting line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Bonnet, a sled dog on the team of former Iditarod champion Jeff King, lies in a dog box of a truck before the ceremonial start of the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Dan Joling) ( Iditarod )
Dallas Seavey leaves the start line before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Willow Lake, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Sue Ellis, wife of musher Mike Ellis, hugs Frankie before the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began on Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Siberian huskies Fritz, left, and Ruby lead the rookie team of Lisbet Norris of Willow, Alaska, across a bridge over Tudor Road during the ceremonial start for the 2014 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Saturday, March 1, 2014, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/The Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth) ( Iditarod )
Musher Monica Zappa prepares her sled before the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Willow Lake, Sunday, March 2, 2014, in Willow, Alaska. The race will take mushers nearly a thousand miles to the finish line in Nome, on Alaska's western coast. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Marc Lester) ( Iditarod )
Saki is ready to go as Iditarod musher Michelle Phillips of Tagish, Yukon, takes her dogs out for a run on Friday, Feb. 28, 2014, at Tozier Track in Anchorage, Alaska. "We're just doing a little stretching-out run," she said. "They've been in the truck a long time." Several mushers visited the track Friday in preparation for Saturday's ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Erik Hill) ( Iditarod Sled Dog Race )