Who Is Dallas Seavey? Iditarod Winner Beats Dad Mitch In 2015 Alaska Dog Race

For the third time in four years, Dallas Seavey has won the Iditarod. The 28-year-old beat his dad, the champion in 2004 and 2013, to the finish line of the 1,000-mile sled dog race through Alaska on Wednesday. The senior Seavey will likely come in second place, which would mark the first time in Iditarod history that a father and son finished No. 2 and No. 1, respectively.

"Wins are a result of doing what we love," Dallas Seavey told reporters as he pet his dogs and draped them with flowers. Iditarod organizers awarded Seavey with $70,000 and a new pickup truck.

Seavey's win came as no surprise. He'd been the clear front-runner since Monday's check-in at White Mountain and had a lead of four hours over dad Mitch, the closest racer. "Dallas' team could almost have walked to Nome and won," Alaska Dispatch News reporter Craig Medred wrote.

Seavey, a third-generation musher, grew up in Seward, Alaska, and became the youngest Iditarod participant in history in 2005, according to his biography on the race's website. He won last year's race in record time, coming in after eight days, 13 hours, four minutes and 19 seconds. His unofficial time this year was eight days, 18 hours, 13 minutes and six seconds, with his dogs averaging 7.6 mph on the trail, KTVA reported.

"I'm pretty tired right about now -- it's been a tough race," Seavey said. "The cold zaps you. The dogs, they're very lively, but it takes a lot of effort to keep them well-fed, keep them rocking and rolling. This is a hard dog team to keep up with."

The 2015 Iditarod started March 9 with 78 mushers, and 69 of them made it to the final stages of the competition on Wednesday. After Seavey and his dad, Aaron Burmeister was set for third place with Jessie Royer and Aliy Zirkle behind him. See the full results over the next few days here.