Photos: Iditarod 2012 - Leaders in Ruby

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Dallas Seavey leaving Ruby on Friday, March 9, 2012.

Mitch Seavey may have been the first into Ruby, but after a day of hard racing following his mandatory 24-hour rest, he didn't anticipate rushing his team into another long haul. Meanwhile, Aliy Zirkle, who has led the race several times and passed Seavey after flying through the halfway checkpoint in Cripple, has been camping along the trail and keeping the mental pressure on the other racers.

The staggered race-rest schedules being utilized by different mushers -- Zirkle is opting for shorter, more frequent rests while Mitch Seavey and his son Dallas, who has occasionally held the number-2 position in the standings, have tended to rest a little longer, less often.

On Friday morning, Zirkle again took the lead from the elder Seavey after she passed through the Ruby checkpoint where Seavey planned to spend a few hours to rest his team.

Though Seavey was first to the Yukon River, plenty of race will still carry the pack toward the coast, with checkpoints in Galena, Nulato and Kaltag before the race hits Alaska's western coast in Unalakleet.

It's unclear if the mushers will stick to their current strategies, but expect a few more lead changes before it's all said and done. Check out Alaska Dispatch's rolling Iditarod updates, here.