These Photos From The 1,000-Mile Dog Sled Race Through Alaska Will Melt Your Heart

The 2013 Iditarod started last weekend in Alaska.

The race requires one rider ("musher") and a team of 16 dogs to navigate a sled through 1,000 miles of Alaskan Wilderness from Anchorage to Nome.

The race always produces some incredible photos that capture not only the harshness of the environment, but the enduring spirit that the dogs and humans both embody.

Also, the dogs are cute, if cold.