Hugh Neff’s huskies stutter-stepped towards the finish line, but righted themselves in plenty of time for the musher to capture his second Yukon Quest title, Monday afternoon.

Good thing he had more than a 26-second lead.

The 48-year-old from Tok, Alaska, crossed the finish line of the 2016 international sled dog race with plenty of time on his rivals, earning the top prize of US$25,462.50 – currently translating to CDN$35,218.

The temperature was just below freezing when Neff hit the finish line.

His previous Yukon Quest victory in 2012 saw him beat Alaskan rival Allen Moore to the finish line by fewer than 30 seconds – the closest finish in 33 years of race history.

Hundreds of fans lined the finish line chute at Shipyards Park to watch Neff and his nine dogs earn his latest victory.

Neff’s official time to the finish was 2:31 p.m. PST, making his total time on the trail nine days, one hour and 25 minutes.

One by one, Neff thanked his dogs, lingering for a longer embrace with his leader, George, as photographers gathered around for the traditional winner’s shot.

Then while 2015 rookie of the year Damon Tedford invited Neff to the podium to discuss his race with the fans on hand, his dog team enjoyed a well-deserved steak.

Despite enjoying a lead of more than one hour on his nearest rival, Neff said he refused to get lackadaisical with his lead.

“I’m from the old school, so I knew I had it when I came around that corner,” the veteran musher said, pointing down to the nearby Yukon River.

“I always have the voices of Brent (Sass) and Allen (Moore) in my head. We’ve been seeing a lot of each other in the Quest the last few years.”

He lauded his team of huskies that powered through some marathon runs to help him build a lead as large as 24 kms.

“I’ve never had a team like this before – in all the racing I’ve done – that has eaten and dranken perfectly at every checkpoint.

“It’s like former Quest champ Jeff King says: ‘If you win, usually it’s easy.’ And I really felt this year that everything came easily to me.”

Besides George – who entered Whitehorse in single lead – Neff’s other huskies at the finish line included Mojito, Rosalita, Amigo, Stevie Ray, Joee, Havana, Lester and Archie.

George, a member of Neff’s 2012 roster, started the race in wheel – just ahead of the sled, but the musher’s team came alive after he switched the husky to lead.

The victory solidifies Neff’s name in the annals of Yukon Quest history.

“When I won last time, it was a come from behind, I barely won by 26 seconds,” he told the crowd.

“I wanted to prove to people that it was more than just luck. Personally, I think I should have won this race five or six times by now. So, I think I put that baby to bed.

“Maybe people think 48 is old for basketball or football or hockey, but for mushing it’s just right.”

Neff entered the race halfway point in Dawson City in third place, and largely flew under the radar until he made his move after Pelly Crossing.

He entered the race’s final three checkpoints in first place.

“The nice thing about travelling with Lance (Mackey) for so long, is I know how to hunt people,” he admitted, noting he wasn’t going to let Sass and Moore out of his sight. “I would do whatever it had to take.”

Neff’s final push down the homestretch towards Whitehorse at 12:36 a.m. Monday got off to a great start courtesy of a group of caribou along the trail.

“All of a sudden, my dogs were in a full-out lope and I could here rustling in the bushes everywhere,” he explained.

“There were caribou tracks, so obviously there was caribou everywhere. I didn’t see any, but I’m not afraid of a caribou. I’d love to eat one. But that was pretty cool to (see) a team that’s been through some tough trail to have that much energy.”

Professional entertainer Dawson Dolly welcomed her friend to the finish line by singing a mushing remix of Queen’s We are the Champions.

Yukon Commissioner Doug Phillips also joined the race victor on the podium briefly to welcome Neff to Whitehorse.

Neff, who owns Laughing Eyes Kennel, thanked those on hand for their support of mushing.

“When I won this race in 2012, we had about five people from Whitehorse here,” he said, to laughter. “It might have been five o’clock in the morning … I don’t know if you guys were all hung over or something, but the outpouring here has been amazing.

“There’s been people all up and down the river.

“Whitehorse, I love you. You guys are awesome.”

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