World-famous Alaska musher Lance Mackey reached the finish line of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, Monday without being chased down by Sgt. Preston of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and his dog, King.

Now the question is: Can Mackey escape the very diligent U.S. Border Patrol as well?

Since Friday, when Mackey failed to appear in Anchorage for a hearing on a minor drug possession charge, he has been a wanted man. A District Court judge issued a bench warrant Friday for failure to appear. A friend said it was a mistake, that Mackey thought his arraignment was scheduled for later in the month. The charges against Mackey stem from the seizure of some of his medical marijuana during his transit through Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage in January.

But the border patrol doesn't care how minor the offense. Alaska border patrol spokesman Mike Milne, who is stationed a long way from the border in Seattle, said standard protocol at all U.S. border crossings is to detain people wanted by the authorities for any reason.

"If (Mackey) has an outstanding warrant,'' Milne said, "he'll be arrested at the border.''

For the Border Patrol, Milne added, this is just a matter of course. "About a million people a day come to our points of entry, and we arrest hundreds per day,'' he said.

Warrants are entered into one of the country's many -- always faithful -- computer systems. When a passport is scanned upon someone's re-entry into the country, the warrants pop up. The border patrol then detains the alleged reprobate until he or she can be turned over to the proper authorities for processing. The proper authorities, in this case, would be Alaska State Troopers.

Mackey, one of the best loved mushers in the state, could conceivably solve his border problem by getting the court to quash the warrant between now and his return. And he would seem to have some case for a plea for leniency. His court date was originally calendared for Wednesday, Feb. 17, but then moved up to Feb. 12. It remains unclear as to how, when and if Mackey was notified of the change. Friend Theresa Daily from Chugiak, who has handled some media for Mackey, said the musher was under the impression his court date was set for Feb. 23.

She said Mackey has now been informed that he missed court and has a problem. He was told to call state troopers from Whitehorse first thing and explain the situation.

"That's my orders to him,'' Daily said. "I'm sure he'll get it straightened out."

On Monday Mackey finished second in the Quest, just minutes behind the record pace of winner Hans Gatt from Atlin, B.C.

A cancer survivor who still suffers pain from surgery and radiation treatments, Mackey has had a state certificate for the use of medical marijuana. But he told an airport police officer back in January that the certificate was expired.

Police were called to talk to Mackey after a pat-down by an agent of the Transportation Security Administration uncovered a small plastic bag of marijuana in Mackey's pocket. He has never made any secret of his use of the drug, but he is trying to wean himself from it in preparation for this year's Iditarod.

The 1,000-mile race from Anchorage to Nome has new rules under which the race plans to randomly test competitors for drugs this year. Marijuana is one of the prohibited drugs. Mackey has expressed the opinion his drug use might have become an issue because of his three consecutive victories.