WILLOW, Alaska -- Jamaican musher Newton Marshall has made history as the first ever person from the Caribbean to enter the annual 1,150-mile Alaskan dog-sled race.

Marshall trained with three-time and reigning Iditarod champion Lance Mackey for the race regarded as one of the world's great endurance tests.

Sponsored by Margaritaville icon Jimmy Buffett, Marshall completed the Yukon Quest last year as a rookie.

Here, Marshall (right) is seen with Mackey before the competitors left at the start in Willow, Alaska on Sunday, March 7. (Photo: AP)