Pete Kaiser and John Schandelmeier crafted a dramatic finish to the inaugural Paul Johnson Memorial North Sound 450 sled dog race early Sunday morning, arriving at the Nome finish line two minutes apart.

Kaiser, a 24-year-old from Bethel who won last year's Kobul 440, collected his second major mushing victory by outdueling Schandelmeier, a two-time Yukon Quest champion from Paxon.

Kaiser arrived in Nome with a team of nine dogs at 5:47 a.m. Sunday. Schandelmeier was right behind at 5:49.

"The dogs looked great," said a posting at kaiserracing.com, "but Pete, who undoubtedly has been kicking since White Mountain, had to lie down a minute right after the finish."

The 450-mile race began Wednesday night in Unalakleet.