Jason Mackey, younger brother of two-time Iditarod champion and four-time Yukon Quest champ, Lance Mackey, was on his runners in the Bering Sea as Lance was on his way to a second victory. “The trip from Shaktoolik to Koyuk was one emotional ride,” Jason Mackey said at the finish line, after a strong burst of speed propelled his young team to 33rd place.

“He’s one crazy guy,” he said of Lance. “He seems to pull magic tricks out of his hat.”

If Lance was dealing with all kinds of issues at the front of the pack, so was Jason Mackey. He said his second Iditarod was an up and down ride. It started from the beginning, when a key leader was left home. Mackey realized this team would need TLC right from the start and he scrapped any intentions of a top 20 finish. He used his printed run-rest schedule to light his first campfire on the trail.

He would feel the dogs speed up, then slow down, and if they flagged, he’d rest them.

Mackey said he does indeed have aspirations to be the fourth Mackey to win the Iditarod someday, following his father, Dick, and brothers Rick and Lance. “I won’t give up until I do win this thing,” he said. First, though, Jason Mackey wants to run the Yukon Quest next year, returning to the Iditarod in 2010.