Stubborn Gal by Dan O'Neill

Stubborn Gal is the true story of a 60-mile sled dog race and a young woman determined—if not precisely qualified—to run it. Sarah has never competed in a race before and never run a big team of dogs. But when a race official strongly discourages her from entering, she boldly signs up. To answer the naysayers, she must learn how to control a dog team twice as powerful as any she has ever run. And she has three days to do it. Two practice runs end disastrously. On the third day, Sarah enters the race, and the results surprise everyone.