The final musher crossed the Yukon Quest's finish line Friday in Fairbanks, officially ending the 2013 race.

Dyan Bergen of Yellowknife completed the1,600-km challenge in 13 days, six hours and three minutes, arriving in to a warm welcome.

She finished with eight dogs, all of which were extremely shy around the large crowd.

Bergen had to switch out her leaders a few hundred feet before the banner and help run them in.

"The run was good, although a little warm,” she said. "We were training in -35 for several months, and I wasn't really expecting -10.”

Bergen said the Yukon Quest trail had a lot more hills and mountains than she's used to in the Northwest Territories, which was tough, but she certainly enjoyed the views on the trail.

"My favourite memory was probably the view from Rosebud; that was pretty awesome,” she said.

"I had a 360-degree view of the mountains. We almost got run over by a herd of caribou (Thursday) too, which was pretty great.”

As the Red Lantern winner, Bergen didn't see a lot of other mushers during the race, particularly in the second half. She told the crowd at the finish that's something she actually enjoyed.

"I prefer to be by myself. I train by myself and I like it. It means I can run at my own pace.”

Asked if she would return in 2014, Bergen laughed and said this month's race was a one-time deal.

She's achieved her dream now of finishing the toughest sled dog race in the world, she said.

"Now I'm going to spend the next five years paying for it!”

Twenty-six mushers started this year's Quest in Feb. 2 in Whitehorse, and 20 of them made it to the finish line.

Allen Moore of Two Rivers, Alaska won the race a week ago, with a time of eight days, 19 hours and 39 minutes.

See Tuesday's Star for coverage of the Quest awards banquet.