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Cover Story

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Top Dogs In Alaska's Iditarod

As Doug Swingley raced to the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, cheering fans lined the streets of Nome, Alaska. It was 1:31 a.m. and bitterly cold. But that didn't stop people from coming out to greet the winner.

After all, not even two broken sleds had stopped Swingley from his runaway victory. He reached the finish line 9 hours ahead of three-time winner Martin Buser.

Swingley, from Lincoln, Montana, is the only non-Alaskan ever to win the race. He finished 12 hours behind the course speed record, which he set the last time he won, in 1995. This time Swingley and his 11 dogs completed the grueling 1,100-mile trek from Anchorage to Nome in 9 days, 14 hours, 31 minutes and 7 seconds.

The victory earned Swingley $60,000, a new pickup truck and $9,000 in bonus money that he won for leading at the halfway point.

"I've got to take a long rest," said an exhausted Swingley at the finish line.

Next: A Rare Moon