Who won the Iditarod in 2026? Reality TV star Jessie Holmes defends title in Alaska dog sled race

The 54th edition of the Iditarod is the most popular dog sled race in the world and ranks among the most grueling events in all of sports.

For the second year in a row, Jessie Holmes traversed through the tough conditions and won "The Last Great Race on Earth." He becomes just the fifth musher to defend their title in Iditarod history. This year, Holmes raced for nine days, seven hours, 32 minutes, and 51 seconds.

The "Life Below Zero" star finished over a day faster than his win last year at 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes, and 41 seconds.

Since his Iditarod debut in 2018, Holmes has raced in every Iditarod. The Brushkana, Alaska native has earned six Top 10 finishes, with two championships through nine years of competing.

Holmes took home the largest percentage of the $650,000 purse for this year's race. Along with the cash purse, Holmes won every special award on the trail, which includes: Alaska Air Transit Spirit of Iditarod Award, GCI Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award, First to the Yukon Award, Bristol Bay Native Corporation Fish First Award, Ryan Air Gold Coast Award, and the Northrim Bank Achieve More Award. His winnings from those awards total $5,500 in cash and $4,500 in gold nuggets.

Here is a look at the 54th Iditarod's leaderboard.

MORE: Iditarod mushers, map, distance and more to know about 2026 race

Iditarod standings 2026

Updated as of 3:30 p.m. ET on March 18.

See the complete 2026 standings here.

Iditarod map and route

There are two trails for the Iditarod dog race. The northern trail is used in even years, and the southern trail is used in odd years. The 2026 Iditarod will take place on the northern route, a map of which can be seen below.

Northern Route

Southern Route