Four time defending champion Lance Mackey was the first musher into the Rainy Pass checkpoint, taking an early lead in the 2011 Iditarod. With his 16 dog team in temperatures just above zero, almost an ideal temperature temperature for running dogs, Mackey was the first musher out of 62 mushers to reach the check point.

Saturday's ceremonial start was in downtown Anchorage and the official restart from Willow, the teams set out to cover a total of 1,131 miles using the Southern Route, as is done in odd-numbered years.

The Iditarod is still thought of as "the last great race on Earth," with each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover the distance in approximately nine to 13 days, with 25 checkpoints, including Anchorage and Nome, along the way.

According to the Iditarod insider Bruce Lee Mackey said "he thinks that stretch of trail was in better shape than he has ever seen before, He also said the run from Willow to Skwenta was one of the best runs of his career."

Stay tuned for updates from the 2011 Iditarod as the race continues to unfold.