Tightly gripping their dog harnesses and barking out orders to their sled dog teams, Hans Gatt and Lance Mackey are battling it out today to be crowned Yukon Quest champion.

According to the latest update on the event’s website, the pair were only 34 minutes apart at the last checkpoint in Braeburn.

Along with Hugh Neff, they have been out in front for much of the 1,000-mile-plus race since it began on February 6th 2010.

The battle for the title resumed today at 02:19 local time, with some interesting clashes in the middle of the field also worth keeping an eye on.

Zack Steer and Ken Anderson are hoping to finish fourth, while Sonny Lindner and Brent Sass are duelling for the sixth-placed spot.

The majority of the 24 teams that started the race last weekend are still out on the course, which runs between Fairbanks and Whitehorse in Alaska.

It is named after the river Yukon, the main route of transportation in the area during the early 1900s.