Dee Dee Jonrowe, who will start the grueling Iditarod sled-dog race through Alaska's wilderness for the 34th time this year, has long been known as a survivor, having endured a deadly car crash, cancer, frostbite and numerous injuries on the trail.

But her reputation for resolve has taken on fresh meaning with this year's nearly 1,000-mile (1,600 km) test of endurance, which comes just months after a wildfire destroyed her home in the town of Willow and the kennel where she housed her dog team.

"This is the hardest year I've ever had — I mean the hardest," she said before setting out on Sunday from Willow, the official starting point of the Iditarod. "I lost everything. I've done a lot of crying this last year."