The 36th Annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ceremonially began on Saturday March 1, 2008.

The 1,161 mile (1,868 km) dogsled race ran through the American state of Alaska.

[1] The competition was one of the closest in recent memory, with defending champion Lance Mackey and four-time winner Jeff King mushing neck-and-neck for much of the race.

Ultimately, the race was won by Mackey, who reached the final checkpoint at 2:46 AM on March 12.

Notably, this is the second year in a row Mackey has finished first in both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, a feat once thought impossible.