It's that time of the year again, yep Iditarod. A field of 69 mushers gathered their dogsleds to complete in what's billed as the "Last Great Race," but conditions are making the 42nd running brutally difficult for competitors.

These photos from the Iditarod yesterday are just crazy http://t.co/NXgC5vmf6J pic.twitter.com/JgpSjy6O08 — David Hulen (@davidhulen) March 5, 2014

A lack of snow along the course and rough terrain has prompted a total of seven mushers to withdraw from the event, according to KTUU in Anchorage. Some are calling this the toughest Iditarod ever.

"This is probably going to go down in history as one of the most hard-on-people runs in all times," Osmar said.

Running dogsleds on frozen tundra creates a unique set of challenges that snow does not. Sleds are more difficult to control, while the rocky terrain presents problems to the sled and dog team. Several crashes have been reported, in addition to sleds that are damaged beyond repair.

Wednesday marks the fourth day of competition. Check out the Anchorage Daily News' pictures — they're something else.