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FAIRBANKS — Jon Little broke the Yukon Quest’s record time — and placed third.

The Kasilof musher, who narrowly led the race leaving Dawson City, reached the Fairbanks finish line barely an hour after winner Sebastian Schnuelle in an elapsed time of 10 days and 28 minutes.

“Wouldn’t you know the year I break the record, it’s going to be forgettable because two people did it faster,” Little said to laughter during an interview in the finish chute.

Little still had plenty to celebrate as he threw snacks to spectators who watched him and eight dogs take third to win $18,000.

“I couldn’t be prouder. It’s a really nice group of dogs,” he said.

The pivotal point of Little’s race came on a stormy Eagle Summit, when he and Hugh Neff — who were leading at the time — spent up to eight hours on the mountain Sunday night and Monday morning. First they searched for the trail on foot, to no avail; then they camped and waited for daylight so they could find their way down to Mile 101 Dog Drop.

“It was blowing really hard and drifting (snow), and we were cold and wet. But it wasn’t the end of the world,” Little said. “Frankly, I was tired enough that I thought ‘Oh well, I can just lay down next to the sled and take a nap.’”

Little couldn’t keep up with Neff descending to 101 and was passed by eventual champion Sebastian Schnuelle on Rosebud Summit.

“Basically both those guys were able to power on leaving 101 and my guys, they just sagged. For the next five or six hours, we just sort of trotted along,” Little said.

Little, who took fifth in his only other Quest in 2005, had only 17 dogs in his kennel as candidates for the Quest, and entered all but three.

“I’m amazed that I’ve been able to be this competitive with the size of kennel that I have. I’m very happy and grateful,” he said.

One of Little’s favorite parts of the race was visiting cabins on the Yukon River.

“It’s the only race I’m aware of that still has that old-time hospitality, and it’s really cool,” he said.

Little had four dogs die in a training accident after his team was hit by a vehicle on the Kenai Peninsula. He said the Quest was dedicated to their memory.

Buser edges Phillips

After 1,016 miles and more than 10 days on the trail, Martin Buser nipped Michelle Phillips by five seconds to claim fourth place at 9:04 p.m.

The pair had dueled much of the final stretch to Fairbanks from Twin Bears Campground, passing each other repeatedly.

“Maybe the last half-mile or so I was able to out-push her a little,” Buser said. “It could have been just the other way around, too.”

The place in the standings was worth $15,000 for Buser and $13,000 for Phillips.

“It was nice to see them loping across the line,” Phillips said of her team, which matched Hugh Neff for the fastest run (5 hours, 11 minutes) among the top five from Twin Bears to Fairbanks.

Buser, a four-time Iditarod champion, said his body should rebound well for that race, which starts March 7 in Anchorage.

As for the Quest, Buser would not commit about whether he enjoyed the race or whether he would return.

“It was enjoyable meeting all the people and seeing the scenery,” he said.

Buser, who has mushed more than 100,000 miles. often said during the race that he was "just a rookie". The 50-year-old will win the Quest's Rookie of the Year Award.

Kleedehn sixth

William Kleedehn arrived in sixth place at 10:40 p.m. after a disappointing final 48 hours in which his chance to win slipped away. His main leader went into heat, distracting the males in the team and causing nightmarish ascents of Eagle and Rosebud Summits.

But Kleedehn was happy that his team at least found its focus for the run in from Twin Bears.

“The main thing is that I finished on a positive note. Those dogs, I got them back going and thinking about running, and not just sex,” Kleedehn said to laughter from the late-night crowd.

Kleedehn was leading the race and seemingly in control until Sunday night after leaving Central.

“It’s pretty good for the other teams that that actually happened, because I think there was no other team out there this year that could have beaten this team,” said Kleedehn, who blamed himself for keeping a pair of females in heat on the team too long.

Asked whether he should have entered the Iditarod this year instead, Kleedehn said yes. “That’s what I will have to do next year then, because most of those dogs are in the beginning of their prime,” he said.

Dan Kaduce and Brent Sass were the only two mushers still on the trail late Tuesday night. Kaduce has been posting the fastest times between checkpoints since Dawson City, while Sass experienced trouble shortly after leaving Twin Bears in fourth place at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Sass was reportedly forced to walk in front of his team not far from Twin Bears, and Buser gave him dog food before continuing.

Sass finished at 11:18 p.m., while Kaduce came in at 11:38 p.m.

Fourteen other mushers are still on the trail, including Jamaican Newton Marshall (13th place), Yuka Honda of Nenana (20th) and Iris Wood Sutton of Fairbanks (21st), who was traveling Tuesday with Becca Moore in the Red Lantern position.