Battery relocation- is it possible to just use "remote battery posts" in the engine bay?

Is there a reason why people don't go this route?
I am only guessing, since I have never located a battery to the back. When you put a battery in then back, do you ground the negative terminal to the chassis in the trunk and then ground the engine to the chassis under the hood? If so, the route you are talking about would require running a heavy negative cable from the trunk to the front. probably not big problem since you are already running the positive cable, but that heavy copper wire is rather expensive.