Defending champion Lance Mackey has done it again. Mackey finished his consecutive Iditarod victory in nine and a half days, crossing the finish line Wednesday morning at 2:46 AM.

Throughout most of the 1,100-mile journey, Mackey and his 11 dogs battled for the lead with four-time Iditarod winner Jeff King. Unseasonably warm weather and dogs stricken with diarrhea were just a few of the battles Mackey faced on the trail.

Mackey said he had been blessed with an "incredible" dog team. Although he said he is not inclined to boast, he said he is "going to this time."

Of course a great team is not all that Mackey had. Using a combination of mind games and hard work may have made the difference.

When King arrived at Elim he'd already made up his mind that if Mackey blew through, he would follow. However when King pulled in Tuesday morning, he saw Mackey's dogs bedded down and a cooker going. Snared by the trap, King went inside for a nap.

After Mackey lulled his rival, Jeff King, into parking his team at Elim, he then snuck out of the checkpoint at 2:20 AM with just an hour and twenty minutes of rest. King had just shut his eyes when Mackey played his trick, giving Mackey a one-hour gap between King. To maintain his advantage, Mackey ski-poled for six and a half hours.

This move may have single handedly won the race for Mackey, as it put a 57 minute difference between the two mushers on a part of the trail that is too slow to make and hold a pass.

Last year's back-to-back wins of the Iditarod and the Quest International Sled Dog Race, gave Mackey the notarity of being the first musher to ever achieve such an accomplishment.