This one was the toughest, says a victorious Hans Gatt

Hans Gatt became the 27th winner of the Yukon Quest early this afternoon on the Whitehorse waterfront,

Hans Gatt became the 27th winner of the Yukon Quest early this afternoon on the Whitehorse waterfront, setting a record-shattering time of nine days, one hour and 35 minutes.

Gatt arrived to a massive crowd of supporters in his hometown, kicking along with his team to the end with a huge smile on his face.

After shaking hands with race marshall Hans Oettli, Gatt was congratulated by partner Susie Rogan, before thanking the supporters who had been waiting for hours to welcome him home.

“I want to thank you all for coming out,” Gatt said.

The winner found himself struck with emotion when asked by reporters what it felt like to get his fourth Yukon Quest championship at home.

“It’s hard to explain with (this) crowd here,” he said. Tears were rimming Gatt’s eyes as he spoke.

Gatt said this was the toughest race he has ever done.

“Last night was pretty intense,” Gatt said. “I’ve won a lot of races in my career, but that was the one that I had to work the hardest to win.”

Gatt left the Braeburn checkpoint at 2:19 a.m. today with a half-hour lead over Lance Mackey.

“I know that Lance was quite a way behind me,” Gatt said.

According to race officials, Mackey has closed the gap between himself and Gatt by approximately five miles, and was expected in this afternoon, followed by Hugh Neff.

With his fourth win, Gatt has tied Mackey for the most Yukon Quest victories.

Gatt won the race from 2002 to 2004. Mackey won four consecutive Quests from 2005 to 2008.

The nearest competitor to the three lead mushers is Zack Steer, who is 11 hours behind.

The Yukon Quest announced Gatt’s official time across the Whitehorse finish line as 1:35 this afternoon.

The previous record was set in 2009 by Sebastian Schnuelle, at nine days, 23 hours and 20 minutes.

For more coverage of the 2010 Yukon Quest, see pages 4 and 5 and Tuesday’s Star. The standings box on p. 5 was printed before Gatt’s victory.