Revised - Legendary four-time Yukon Quest winner Lance Mackey has passed away at the age of 52.

His parents, Dick and Cathy Mackey, have shared the news on a Facebook post that he had lost a long battle with cancer on Wednesday.

Mackey was born on June 2, 1970 in Anchorage.

From Fairbanks, Mackey was also a four-time winner of the Iditarod and the first person to win the iconic race four times in a row, from 2007-2010, according to Britannica.

He was the first person to win the Quest and Iditarod in the same year.

Former Yukon Quest and Iditarod Race Marshall Doug Grilliot said Mackey’s passing was a great loss for the mushing community.

“Obviously, it’s a loss. I think he had a great deal more to contribute in the coming years in a lot of different areas.

There’s a lot he could have contributed on top of what he already has. So it’s a real loss. There’s a lot he could have accomplished in the future.

“Just being an elder statesman to the sport, if nothing else. The knowledge that he had. He was on our board of directors in Alaska a couple of different times. His wealth of knowledge about the sport in general. He was a smart guy when it came to the inner workings of the race and what was required to put on these big races. His opinion was always very valued.”

Needless to say Grilliot has many memories of Mackey on the trail.

“Just from a purely personal level, I was very fortunate to be able to work with him, or for him, as a race marshall on quite a few races. One thing that always struck me is he was always very much the gentleman. Very much willing to help out the inexperienced mushers. Very willing to share whatever knowledge he had with anybody, during the races, before the races, always willing to contribute to help people improve.

“I was really fortunate to get to see that and work with him and for him as a race marshall and to compete against him. I ran several races over the years and I usually got to see him once when he passed me. He’d chat for a moment and that’s the last I would see him until the finish banquet. But I consider Lance Mackey a friend of mine. Again, it’s a shame that he had to pass at such an early age when I still think he had a lot to contribute to this sport.”

Grilliot added “I have a great deal of respect for the man for what he accomplished, winning back to back Yukon Quests and Iditarods. Unless you’ve been out there and done these races – what he did, it’s phenomenal. It’s hard for the layman to appreciate how difficult it was for what he accomplished. Winning back to back Quests and Iditarods four years in a row or whatever it was, that’s phenomenal. That’s very, very difficult to do.”

Mackey ran the aptly-named Comeback Kennel near Fairbanks.

To say he had a difficult life is an understatement.

He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2001.

On Oct. 4, 2020, his partner, Jenne Smith, died in an ATV accident.

Mackey had also struggled with addictions, including cocaine and alcohol.

In addition to his battles with cancer and addictions, he also suffered from Raynaud’s Syndrome, a condition triggered by cold.

Mackey was again diagnosed with cancer in 2021.

Of note is that he has an asteroid named after him – 43793 Mackey.

He was featured in a 2015 independent feature-length film, The Great Alone, as well.

He is survived by his two children, Atigun and Lozen.