John Baker, an Inupiaq man from Kotzebue, won the 39th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race this morning, completing the 1,000-mile trek in record time.

Baker finished the race in 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, 39 seconds. He easily defeated the old record of 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, 2 seconds.

"Running a team like this, there is nothing better," Baker said after the finish, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. "I am really proud of this."

Baker is the first Alaska Native musher to win the race since 1976. Three of the first four Iditarod winners were Native.

Get the Story:
John Baker wins Iditarod in record time (The Anchorage Daily News 3/15)
Kotzebue musher John Baker wins 2011 Iditarod, sets race record (The Fairbanks Daily News Miner 3/15)