"Hugh Neff"

A race spokesperson said the decision was based on Neff having been asked to scratch due to his dogs’ poor health.

Many teams were pinned down by the weather for hours, unable to find each other and unsure if they were on the trail at all. 

Officials have banned longtime musher Hugh Neff from competing in Alaska’s Iditarod sled dog race next year, citing concerns about his care of dogs.

“This is getting to be far enough into the race where you’re going to start seeing some people pushing the pace start to fall back a little bit,” said defending Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey.

Mushers and fans gathered over the weekend to celebrate the completion of the 2016 Yukon Quest in Whitehorse. The event was highlighted by awards and stories from the trail.

Neff was glowing when he made it to Braeburn in first place, despite only sleeping a couple of hours over the last two and a half days.