Photos: Iditarod 2012 -- Nikolai

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Lance Mackey gets a hug from his lead dog Mayor in Nikolai on Tuesday, March 6, 2012.

The easy road mushers enjoyed through the first 48 hours of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog has disappeared. On the drop down the Dalzell Gorge into Rohn on the backside of Rainy Pass, and then on to Nikolai across a section of trail infamous for little snow and plenty of terrain rough with spears of spruce trees, ice and short but steep hills, the race offered a reminder that The Last Great Race is no Sunday stroll in the park.