The Interior Alaska musher won his first Iditarod on his eighth try, arriving in Nome with his dog team early Friday.

Former reality TV star Jessie Holmes wins Iditarod after crossing the finish line in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.

NOME — Jessie Holmes, a 43-year-old Alabamian who came to Alaska more than 20 years ago, has earned his first win in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Holmes crossed under the burled arch in Nome just before 3 a.m. Friday with 10 dogs on the line, completing his journey in a preliminary time of 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.

It’s been an amazing 10 days and I soaked up every part of it,” Holmes said in an interview with Iditarod Insider minutes after finishing. Holmes mused on all the Iditarod

Jessie Holmes, a former reality television star on “Life Below Zero,” won the longest-ever Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race early Friday morning, crossing under the burled arch in Nome, Alaska, around 2:55 a.m.

Former reality star Jessie Holmes, who appeared on Life Below Zero, is the winner of the longest-ever Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Holmes began the race on March 3, according to

Jessie Holmes, a former reality television star on "Life Below Zero," is the winner of the longest-ever Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Jessie Holmes, a former reality television star from Odenville, Alabama, won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday. Holmes was first to the finish line in the Gold Rush town of Nome, on the Bering Sea coast.