Lance Mackey (June 2, 1970 – September 7, 2022) was an accomplished American sled dog racer, hailing from Alaska. Born into a family deeply involved in sled dog mushing, Mackey was the son of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race co-founder, Dick Mackey, and the half-brother of another Iditarod champion, Rick Mackey. Growing up in Alaska, he was immersed in the culture of dogsled racing from an early age, and his family's legacy in the sport laid the foundation for his own prolific career. Famously Lance would tell people he began mushing in the womb, as his mother, also a competitive musher, raced in the Open North American Championships while pregnant with Lance.

Mackey's journey as a musher commenced in the Jr. Iditarod Sled Dog Race between 1985 and 1988, serving as a preparatory ground for the Iditarod. Despite his initial placement of 36th out of 57 finishers in the 2001 Iditarod, Mackey's career took a challenging turn when he was diagnosed with throat cancer that same year. Following successful treatment, which included surgery and radiation, Mackey displayed remarkable resilience by returning to the 2002 Iditarod, utilizing a feeding tube.

In 2004, Mackey resumed competitive racing, finishing 24th in the Iditarod. Simultaneously, he ventured into the Yukon Quest, a 1,000-mile dogsled race from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, winning it consecutively from 2005 to 2008, becoming the first four-time winner of the event. Mackey's crowning achievement came in the 2007 Iditarod, where he secured his first victory, subsequently going on to claim three consecutive wins and setting a milestone as the first person to achieve four consecutive Iditarod victories in 2010.

Mackey's kennel, known as the Comeback Kennel, played a crucial role in his racing endeavors, housing a notable lineage of sled dogs with roots tracing back to the legendary dog "Zorro." 

Diagnosed with throat cancer once again in 2021, Mackey did not compete in the 2021 or 2022 Iditarod. Mackey passed away on September 7, 2022, at the age of 52. Acknowledged for his remarkable achievements, Mackey received honors such as having an asteroid named in his honor (Asteroid 43793 Mackey) and was publicly recognized by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2010 for his fourth consecutive Iditarod win, celebrating his resilience in both personal and professional aspects of life. His life story and career were documented in the 2015 independent feature-length film, "The Great Alone." Few mushers have had the cultural impact of Lance Mackey, and one comical saying commonly heard in Alaska during his championship years was "Superman wears Lance Mackey pajamas."

• Headshot (public domain)
• Lance Mackey: Tricking rival to win Iditarod (Youtube)