Cable ganglines allow us to run 16 dogs safely. And of course you can't get to a race without a good dog truck. For actual racing success you have to imagine that everything, but the bare sled is dispensable. I know people who try new gear like a sno go track drag that costs them seconds in a race and they dispense of it right away. Probably the most significant advance in gear is aluminum alloys for runners.
People using wood sleds in distance races are at an incredible disadvantage.
I am aware of 4 sleds on aluminum runners that were damaged beyond repair compared to 100's of destroyed wood sleds. Rick Armstrong made my first sled for the 1994 Yukon Quest and I bashed it over the Yukon for 3 Quests and 4 training seasons before it broke my first Iditarod. I find that I make the same paycheck whether I go to the Quest or the Iditarod. Mid-distance races don't pay anything per se. I have raced most races on the road system 2 or 3 times, so I look at it from a financial point of view.