Holmes had a three-hour lead over his closest competitor, Matt Hall, who said he had stopped trying to catch up.

Former reality TV star Jessie Holmes won the 53rd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday, March 14, ending a run that was as commanding as the race was long.

NOME — Jessie Holmes, a 43-year-old Alabamian who came to Alaska more than 20 years ago, has earned his first win in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Holmes crossed under the burled arch in Nome just before 3 a.m. Friday with 10 dogs on the line, completing his journey in a preliminary time of 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.

"The Last Great Race on Earth" takes place in Alaska each March, as mushers and teams of 12-14 dogs race through the wilderness from Anchorage to Nome. To log a qualifying time, a musher needs at least five dogs pulling the sled across the finish line.

The Interior Alaska musher won his first Iditarod on his eighth try, arriving in Nome with his dog team early Friday.