The 2012 Knik 200-Joe Redington Sr. Memorial Sled Dog Race came to an exciting and crowd-pleasing -- but ultimately confusing -- finish Sunday afternoon when four-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey raced under the finish banner only moments ahead of 2010 Copper Basin 300 champion Jake Berkowitz.

As the two teams swept out of the woods and down onto Knik Lake, both mushers urged their teams onward, and as Lance’s dogs crossed under the finish banner he turned around on his runners, deftly riding backwards, and raised both arms in a friendly victory salute to his pursuer. As his dogs slowed to a stop the tired musher collapsed backward for a moment on his sled, then rallied to welcome Jake to the finish of a hard-fought race.

Within minutes it was clear that there was confusion about the winner. Rumors that Lance had failed to sign out of the Skwentna checkpoint were followed up by assertions that signing out was not necessary, only signing into the checkpoint. Blizzard conditions and heavy snowfall at Skwentna made communications difficult, adding to the complexity of the situation.

As confused fans speculated about what the final outcome would be, Ray Redington, grandson of the man the race memorializes, finished in third place. Perennial favorite DeeDee Jonrowe came in fourth, and teams continued to arrive all day, into the night, and even until the following afternoon.

At the awards banquet that evening, the race officials announced that Jake Berkowitz was the winner, because his team had the overall fastest time on the trail. Read the full story, here.

Helen Hegener is an author and a documentary filmmaker specializing in distance sled dog races and the men, women and dogs who run them. This post and these photos originally appeared on her website, Northern Light Media. They have been republished with permission.