As Lance Mackey pulled in to claim second place in the 2010 Yukon Quest on Monday afternoon, one of the first people who rushed to welcome him was Hans Gatt.

Gatt, who had won his fourth Yukon Quest earlier to tie Mackey for the most wins, shook his fellow racer's hand.

"That was the hardest race I've ever run,” Gatt said.

Mackey agreed.

This month's Quest saw a new and possibly untouchable record established, with Gatt's final time recorded at nine days, one hour and 23 minutes.

All of the top seven racers yet to finish are on pace to come in under 2009 champion Sebastian Schnuelle's time of nine days, 23 hours and 20 minutes.

Mackey rode into the Whitehorse finish line at 2:38, clapping along with the crowd of supporters who gathered to welcome the Fairbanks musher to the city.

After taking the time to pet his dogs, and ensuring that his handler, wife Tonya Mackey, had given each and every pup a treat, Mackey spoke to the crowd.

"Beautiful day, beautiful dogs, it's heaven,” he said.

Temperatures hovered near the 0 C mark Monday afternoon, which slowed down some teams. Mackey trains around Fairbanks, where temperatures can dip well under -40 C.

"It was a little hard on the dogs,” Mackey said. "It taxed a little bit during the day.”

While the warm weather may have been tough on the Quest dogs, Mackey said the canine competitors worked harder than their mushers.

"They're amazing athletes,” he said. "I think we're the weak links.”

Mackey said this year's field of racers was a tough one.

"The competition is as stiff as it's ever been.”

The veteran credited the Yukon Quest's many volunteers and staff who helped put on the 27th running of the race.

"This is a class act,” he said.

Mackey said the race's many rookies should look forward to their finish.

"Anybody that finishes this race should be proud,” Mackey said, adding that a win is also a great achievement. "That's just an added bonus.”

Mackey said his team was strong for him right to the finish line.

"They did great. I finished with nine dogs.”

Asked whether he was upset to not get his fifth win, Mackey said he planned to pay Gatt back in next month's Iditarod, run from Anchorage to Nome.

"I'm not disappointed at all,” Mackey said. "I'll pay them back on the next one.”

Mackey said he tried to pull a few tricks that had worked in the past along the way, such as cutting rest to force Gatt back on the trail in Carmacks, but they didn't pan out.

"Unfortunately, we ran out of real estate,” Mackey said. "Back to the drawing board. I've got to come up with something new.”

The veteran commended the fans along the way who offered hospitality.

Between the Fairbanks Feb. 6 start and the Two Rivers checkpoint, supporters offered the racers hot dogs and beverages as they raced by.

Mackey also stopped before heading to the finish line to chat with a group of fans gathered to watch the race.

Before heading to his truck to feed and put his dogs away, Mackey said he is excited about what his young team will accomplish.

"It's an amazing team. I'm looking forward to the future with them,” he said.