After a 42-mile run, Lance Mackey and Jeff King pulled into Shaktoolik Sunday afternoon, the two mushers are still running close to Martin Buser's 2002 record-setting pace on the Iditarod Trail.

By 8:15 p.m., both mushers were on their way out of the village, with Mackey leaving first and King trailing six miles behind, according to the Iditarod Insider's GPS tracker.

Mackey arrived in Shaktoolik at 4:08 p.m. and King about a half-hour later. In comparison, Buser arrived at 11:42 a.m. in 2002. That still places King and Mackey within an hour of Buser's record-setting pace; in 2002, the race started at 10 a.m., and this year it got going at 2 p.m.

Expect to see Mackey and King leapfrogging the racecourse from here on out, predicts Iditarod Race Marshal Mark Nordham, who has variously judged, marshaled and raced the Iditarod since 1983. As long as the dogs stay perky, keep their weight, eat and drink, King and Mackey should maintain their neck-and-neck rivalry until the Nome finish line, he said.

Tactically, mushers who can place themselves a checkpoint ahead of the pack at this stage in the race have a lock on the victory. With this is in mind, Nordham expected Mackey to make only a brief stop in Shaktoolik before heading to the next checkpoint in Koyuk. But Nordham's checkers on the ground there said it appeared Mackey planned to rest for about three hours, and based on Mackey's departure time they were right.

The push to get to White Mountain for a mandatory eight-hour rest could motivate Mackey and King to make bold moves along the way. Nordham said the strategy would have a two-fold purpose: adding distance between teams and using psychology to unnerve each other.

"It's discouraging to have a person leave (a checkpoint) before you, even if it's just by five minutes," Nordham said.

Watching the checkpoints between Shaktoolik and White Mountain could foreshadow this year's outcome. If Mackey cuts rest, leaves any of the checkpoints early, and "Jeff goes with him, the race is still on," Nordham said. "But if he doesn't, it's Lance's (race) to lose."

If Mackey and King got a good rest in Shaktoolik and the dogs had a chance to rejuvenate themselves with a sunny break protected from the wind, the teams might breeze through Koyuk, spending minimal time at the checkpoint, he said.

Overall, dogs among all teams are doing fairly well, said race veterinarian Stuart Nelson. But biting winds sweeping into Unalakleet give him some concern. Wind chill will intensify the frigidly cold weather on the dogs by forcing them to use more energy to stay warm, he said.

Where the winds are an unpleasant obstacle heading in and out of Norton Sound, weather conditions are milder farther along the trail. Sunday afternoon, Shaktoolik and Koyuk were minus 6 degrees and minus 9 degrees, respectively, with winds gusting between nine and 15 miles per hour.