FAIRBANKS A record held for more than a decade has been beaten.

'It sounds more like it's shattering, actually,' said Lance Mackey, the 2007 Yukon Quest winner, 'but all it is now is bragging rights.'

The 36-year-old musher crossed the finish line in his home town of Fairbanks at 1:58 p.m. Tuesday, completing the race in a record 10 days, two hours and 37 minutes.

It's a finish that's more than 13 hours faster than the former record held by Whitehorse-area musher Frank Turner from his 1995 win. That was completed in 10 days, 16 hours and 18 minutes.

'It's a nice bonus,' said Mackey of winning speed, but added it won't be paying him anything extra. He'll be taking home $40,000 US from the Quest's $200,000-purse.

Throughout this race, Mackey had stated he wanted to complete this year's 1,600 kilometres in record time so there would be no question about the 2006 race.

Mackey won in 2006, finishing it in 10 days, seven hours and 47 minutes. But it was a record with an asterisk, because the rerouted trail with the Dawson City finish line instead of Whitehorse was 88 km short of its usual full length.

'It sure feels nice,' he told the crowd of approximately 400 people gathered on the Chena River in -38 C weather to watch him arrive in downtown Fairbanks. The race began Feb. 10 in downtown Whitehorse.

Mackey's remaining 10 dogs on his team continued to bark and lunge in their harnesses as Lippy and Hobo Jim guided the group into the finishing chute.

This is Mackey's third straight Quest win. Previously, only veteran musher Hans Gatt had been able to win the race three times consecutively.

'I've only entered this race three times. I've got three victories. I mean, that to me, and most people, that's just an amazing accomplishment,' he said.

Mackey added he doesn't plan on letting the three-time record stand for long.

'Being now there's two people who have done three in a row, I'd like to be the first one with five in a row. That's my goal at the moment,' he told the onlookers, earning a round of applause and cheers.

Mackey said he thought he could have completed the race even faster had he not taken extra rest at the final checkpoint in Chena Hot Springs or some of the other stops along the trail. The musher stayed an hour and 20 minutes longer than the mandatory eight-hour rest.

But he had arrived into the checkpoint seven hours ahead of his closest competitor, Gatt.

For much of the race, Mackey was flying down the trail rolling into checkpoints hours ahead of the times Quest officials had originally anticipated and causing volunteers to scramble to prepare each stop during the race.

Mackey said he felt he was able to take an early lead in the race, because it seemed like the other teams didn't start racing until they reached the halfway checkpoint in Dawson.

The veteran musher made the 323- kilometre run from Pelly Crossing into the Klondike in 36 hours and 59 minutes, arriving four hours ahead of his closest competitor at the time, William Kleedehn.

'I felt going into the race that I needed to do something like that to catch them off-guard, because they were going to expect something a little bit odd from me anyway,' said Mackey.

For him, the race started as soon as he unloaded his dogs from his truck at the starting line.

The other teams just didn't respond to his strategically-fast haul soon enough, he said.

'I did and I don't think they responded quite right and I think it caught them off-guard.'

Mackey credited his third win to his dogs, calling them the real stars of the race.

'They do whatever I ask them and beg for more, basically. They're just a hell of a group of athletes, and I'm honoured to be the driver. It's really a privilege,' he said.

Mackey had found his usual leader, Larry, wasn't running as fast as he would like, and decided to try Lippy up along side Hobo Jim.

'She took off,' he said.

The dog had never served as a leader before, he added, but by the end of the race had learned the commands and proved to be a real 'up-and-coming superstar.'

Though Mackey had a convincing lead on much of the trail, he wasn't without his challenges.

Nerve damage rooting from his cancer treatment in 2001 left him struggling with pain in his hands and fingers for much of the race.

The temperatures dropping down into the -40s C and -50s C on the Alaskan side only made matters worse, with Mackey complaining of severe pain and stinging by the time he reached Chena Hot Springs.

'I feel those are some of the sacrifices you've got to make in this sport. For now, I'm willing to do that,' he said.

Mackey wants to run the best teams possible for as long as possible because he doesn't know how much longer his body will let him continue in the sport.

Being at the front also means you are always looking behind your shoulder and never really knowing what's going on behind you, he added.

Even with his hours' gap, he said, he was aware of Gatt, Kleedehn and Gerry Willomitzer racing behind him.

'It was never peaceful until right there on that corner,' he said pointing to the last bend in the river before the finish line.

Mackey said he really realized he'd again be winning the race about five km (three miles) out from its end.

'It was an emotional moment,' he said. 'I was in tears three miles out. I just couldn't believe it, could not believe it.

'I still can't believe it. It's an incredible thing.'